No Charity
Much Suffering
Grilled looked unstoppable as they steamrolled Charis FC 8-1 in the first meeting between the sides, with
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim again magnificent with his second hat-trick in as many days. In truth, the result was likely unfair to Charis, who were after all good value for their top-half finish in the second division, but this was another of those days where everything fell the Birds' way.
With Scallop having had no luck with their first two games, this fixture would decide who joined Be Champions FC in the knockout stages, and Charis FC responded with a strong side anchored by French defensive midfielder David Chauvet. Hong Kong striker Cheng Yuanyu returned to partner David Ternero, while Finnish defender Peter Voipio took over central defence.
On paper, it was a very solid combination through and through, but Grilled were so hyped up that it didn't matter. The team in red made some moves towards attacking down the sides, but Li Li Yao was completely neutered by the much quicker
Low Aik Jia, who robbed Li yet again in the 17th minute before assisting Mohd Safri with a raked low cross.
Tian Yonghang doubled the lead from the next attack, and Grilled's forwards completed the set after
Chow Ying Lee broke through in the 39th minute. Charis were handed a lifeline when referee Roshaun McElroy Jr sent
Ling Fuquan off after his heated altercation with Ternero, which was roundly protested by his teammates given that Voipio had merely been booked for an arguably more serious offence earlier.
That this didn't have quite the effect that the Charis fans expected would be an understatement, as the Birds immediately hit two more in protest, with
Low Aik Jia and Mohd Safri running rings around Charis' slow fullbacks. Former Ukrainian representative Erwin Pitra might have been regal in the air, but he was at a loss having the much more agile Low darting here and there before blazing by.
This was turning out to be a near repeat of Grilled's goalfest against Scallop yesterday, with Charis more or less resigned to their fate by half-time. They did however offer respectable resistance in the starting part of the second half, and Cheng grabbed a consolation from a free-kick routine that saw Asen Kodzhabashev guide it conveniently to his stronger foot.
Charis custodian Cheah Wen Wen was immediately called to arms next, as he brushed
Wong Ping Shun's rocket inches over, but Wong would get it right the second time around, albeit from the penalty spot after Chow had been felled inside the box. In between, former U20 winger and Charis darling Ang Leong Kum caught
Wong Tian Han flatfooted with a whirlwind turn and strike, but that floated narrowly wide at the last moment.
Mohd Safri would then ensure that his name remained in the news for awhile yet, as he went to air to lash home a fancy cross from
Clément Meyer, for whom doubling up for the missing Ling had evidently not been particularly taxing. Woon then snapped up an eighth when Voipio made a hash of a hurried backpass, but in all honesty nobody was counting by then.
