Akka Asks Questions
Honda Homer
Grilled's profligacy before goal continued worryingly, as they endured their third game in five without scoring, this time in Hokkaido against Japanese third division FC AkuinAkka. Although current U-20 wingback Naoki Soma did not make the starting lineup, former youth international Tomohiro Kajiyama marshalled his back line superbly against a tame Birds attack.
Chow Ying Lee again was cast as the point man, this time in a 3-5-2, as he awaits an enforced holiday over the weekend. The eager
Leong Wan Kang started beside him, but neither wound up making much of an impression against the 41-capped Kajiyama, affectionately known as "Totoro" to his fans.
While Grilled arguably had the edge in midfield, with the famous ex-FC Rinkan star Hiroto Tagawa now 37 years of age,
Rinor Isufi learnt just how critical a single mistake could be, when he mislaid a pass out wide to the wily Atsutane Uchida. Uchida might have lost some of his old stamina, but there was no question of that so early in the game, and he clipped a fine cross at Keisuke Honda before the Birds could react.
Dan Seng, entrusted with the goalkeeper's jersey for the day, rushed out gamely, but the bounce took the ball across him, and Honda then calmly looped it into the unguarded net.
Given that it was just four minutes in, Grilled were not overly rattled, even as further misfortune struck with
Remco van der Ban throwing his back without warning a while later. Veteran
Joan Cisquell slipped in at leftback without any fuss, and Grilled gradually began pelting the hosts with shots.
Reserve custodian Yuta Takahashi had set his sights on playing a blinder, though, and he stopped two certain-looking headers from a marauding
Lee Lee Hao in the space of ten minutes.
Chow Ying Lee should however still have done it in between, but his usually-reliable aim failed him after he had done all the hard work.
The two of them were Grilled's most effective players by far despite that, and their constant interchanging of positions was enough for FC AkuinAkka sensei Teruyoshi Miyagi to bring Hiromi Okura on as a dedicated man-marker a little into the second half.
This proved wise, to say the least, as the Birds began to lose their coherence moving forward, though it was hard to tell if it was mainly down to the tactical switch. In any case, the home team came within inches of increasing their lead after
Hilal Bakhtiar made a massive hash of dribbling, but Honda knocked it against the post this time.
Pompeo Bellamoli entered for Leong, who had had next to no influence, but the Italian did little better. Instead, it was FC AkuinAkka who were going from strength to strength, and Kajiyama had their fanatic support really drumming it up in the build-up to taking a penalty in the 79th minute.
Dan Seng guessed the wrong way, but it mattered not as Kajiyama fired just wide.
The letoff boosted the Birds slightly, but not nearly enough for them to stage a late rally, and
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim flirted with a yellow card for dissent as the hosts successfully protected their lead to the end.
