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| FIXTURE HISTORY |
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| Season 55 | L | 5 - 2 | League | | Season 55 | D | 2 - 2 | League | | Season 51 | W | 6 - 4 | Tournament (Group Phase) | | Season 51 | L | 4 - 1 | Tournament (Group Phase) | | Season 50 | L | 0 - 6 | Tournament (Group Phase) |
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Dress Rehearsal
Safri Sounds Warning
The Birds emerged from their must-win clash against Scallop Soccer Team with heads held high, after a comprehensive 5-0 walloping of the reigning champs. Scallop were clearly suffering from the wholesale dispersal of their local midfield nucleus, with Weng Rusong, Rahul Naicker and Lee Ze Shi having moved abroad for a combined knockdown total of around S$4 million, and all indications are that their green replacements will take some time to acclimatize.
This SG Masters match was widely recognized to be a dry run for the new season opener once the fixtures were announced, with the key being whether Scallop's new-look engine room could handle Grilled's oldies. They did do well enough for the first half-hour, as Spanish lad Jorge Valtierra irritated
Zhu Changchun and company with his sticking close.
The high-tempo pressing couldn't be maintained forever, however, and Grilled eventually manufactured a fine team goal, with
Ling Fuquan making his move infield at just the right time. Additionally, Valtierra was booked in the aftermath for upending Zhu in the buildup. Not that the Birds were angels either, as
Chow Ying Lee was lucky to stay on after brutally felling Scallop skipper Tarcisio Fulcini five minutes later.
The ability to read the game gave
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim a deserved second, after he snuck around the back of Norbert Dombi just as
Clément Meyer made a play for the ball, and neatly nicked it off the 22 year-old Hungarian. Thereafter, Mohd Safri had enough in the tank to go around Antoine Clinch, before pounding it in.
Tian Yonghang could have made it three before Zhu received a card for going in late on Valtierra, which had the two arguing as they made their way into the tunnel for half-time. Indeed, Scallop had a case for Grilled's veterans putting in a bunch of naughty fouls to stop their most promising developments, such as Ling's in the 66th. By then, however, a tap-in from
Woon Shun An meant that the Birds were already three to the good.
Overall, it had been a disappointing day for Scallop, and their fans were beginning to waver when Valtierra brought them to life with a world-class effort from well outside. Unfortunately, not even that was enough to lift his side, as
Wong Tian Han proved equal to it with a superlative flying save. Still, judging from the applause that the earnest Spaniard got, he has won the support of the faithful.
Heart alone would however be insufficient as the battle-hardened Birds sensed blood; eager to get one over on a main competitor, they would bang in two more, with Woon and Mohd Safri completing the rout from close range.
