L1ver Blow
Ten To One
Both teams brought seven-match winning streaks into the Sapphire Challenger Cup Round of Sixteen fixture, but only Grilled would depart with theirs extended as they wrecked Toa Payoh old-timers L1verpool by nine clear goals.
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim rebounded from his tournament dullness with an industrious hat-trick, with Norwegian Daniel Stenberg nicking a small keepsake for L1verpool.
Twenty seasons removed from their last encounters in the top flight, there were new faces all around at HitMen Arena as the sides lined up. L1verpool had conceded just the once - a super strike from NoMoneyNoHoney's Pau Jaumet - in their Sapphire Challenger Cup journey before this, but they would barely get a touch before
Gene Filippone's tempting corner was powered in via
Clément Meyer's forehead.
That all but scuppered L1verpool's option of sitting back and playing for a draw, but seeing as how matters progressed, it was doubtful if that was ever possible. Mohd Safri, who had messed up so badly against Crowded House, was back at his cocky best with his 13th minute feint to get past Romanian player-coach Vasile-Răzvan Axente, and the returning
Zhu Changchun then celebrated his return to the team with another drive down the right side.
The L1verpool fans could not have expected too much after this, but they still obligingly cheered Piero Cardillo's fingertip save from
Lee Lee Hao. Unfortunately, Cardillo would be called into action all too often, and Meyer and Filippone would fire in the fourth and fifth in the 37th and 38th minutes to put the result beyond doubt before the half had ended.
Given the circumstances, it was understandable if the Birds support didn't mind too much when the opponents got one back. Czech playmaker Josef Strapek opened some eyes when he got himself out of a tight spot with a stationary spin, before lifting the ball into Grilled's penalty area with his free foot. Daniel Stenberg was waiting for just that, and stole in ahead of
Wong Tian Han to spoil the latter's clean sheet.
Of course, this would be little more than a lull, and the main question was whether Grilled would rest any of their stars for the upcoming tussle against Pudgy Penguins. The answer was no, and neither would they let up; normal service resumed after the break, and although Roberto Fosi got the basics down pat, that was far from enough to stop
Rinor Isufi. The hungry Albanian got the half started with two beautiful efforts, which took his cup tally to six.
That was however what Mohd Safri had started the day with, and it soon became clear that the old fox was not about to be upstaged. Isufi looked ripe for a hat-trick as Mohd Safri bore down on Cardillo with him totally free out wide, but Grilled's Malay champion did not even give him a second look, instead finishing himself with a stone-cold right footer.
Isufi looked disappointed, but then again, it was probably what he himself would have done. Clearly, he didn't let it affect his decision-making after
Woon Shun An had made it 9-1, as he flicked it out to the side for Mohd Safri to run onto upon being marked out. Mohd Safri would not let him down for his part, and gleefully accelerated past Cardillo to run it in for his 14th career hat-trick.
