Victorian Propriety
Mettes Mettle
Grilled had to work against Victoria FC Singapore for their 2-0 win against the Ang Mo Kio-based Division Four side, who put up a fight belying their modest wage bill as they stuck in the Birds' craw every inch of the way. Victoria's Dutch skipper Tygo Mettes was imperious throughout, save for the goals that bought Grilled's passage to the fourth round.
Indeed, it was the hosts who could have gone in front, as
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim got a rare taste of his own medicine in the ninth minute. Far more accustomed to embarassing opponents, the forward-turned-midfielder was left on his butt after Brazilian winger Alex Morro nutmegged him on the run. Morro's finish was far less outstanding, however, and
Wong Tian Han had only to stoop and gather it.
It was the Birds' good fortune that they scored on about their first serious attack, instigated by
Low Aik Jia, who took Mieczysław Frymark on a merry jig down the left side.
Zhu Changchun made a dummy run forward that took the defence apart, and Low had enough of his wits about him to draw it back for the rampaging
Zhao Jing Wei to blast it.
The second came from an expertly-time through ball from Mohd Safri for
Tian Yonghang in the 28th, which was met with a rather vicious tackle by József Geyer at the other end, as Victoria strove for a reply. The following yellow card did not discourage the Hungarian forward, who came close on a late counterattack in between efforts from Mohd Safri and
Che Harun bin Sabtu.
As the near full house at Victoria Arena Sang, they were not about to go down easy, and the Birds trod carefully for the remainder of the match. Previous editions of the Cup had inevitably seen the third round as shooting practice for them, but this time it was the opponents who appeared to be the more industrious.
The Birds did have their moments for all of Victoria's buzz at the back, and if any attempt deserved to extend Grilled's lead, it was Che Harun's instinctive no-look lob in the 55th minute, as a hard cross came in from
Ling Fuquan. Homegrown goalkeeper Tan Shi Ah was up to it, though, as he backpedalled furiously to just about tip it over his crossbar.
Low's speed was a bother on the left, but the hosts' organization meant that the Birds found no purchase in front of Tan's goalmouth. Recognizing the way the chips were falling, reserve coach Luis Alcántara decided to take a not fully-fit
Chow Ying Lee off the table in the 75th minute, allowing
Leong Wan Kang to put in his usual chasing down.
Gene Filippone's miss on an open net after a fairly decent midfield shift convinced the travelling fans that no further goals would be forthcoming, and quite a few left before
Joan Cisquell got only his fourth appearance for the Birds, as an injury-time sub.
