Unexpected Value
Yuki Finds Net
Converted centreback
Yuki Irie was the unlikely gamewinner in this top-of-the-table clash, as he somehow exerted influence from behind, to engineer a match in which Grilled never really appeared in trouble. The EV had won two and drawn one of their first three matches in Division Two, but ended up mustering just two shots against
Wong Tian Han, and went down surprisingly tamely.
That said, The EV had already been tripped up midweek by Oneteamtoplay in the Cup, which saw the restoration of Croat Mihovil Turk to midfield, and the dropping of Mateusz Dziewoński for an additional defender in Yves Boeger. For the Birds,
Zhao Jing Wei got the withdrawn striker nod with
Lee Lee Hao replacing the dropped
Ang Leong Kum in midfield, as
Low Aik Jia kept his place after faring well against Claseek last week.
And the dynamic left winger looks set to stay on, going by how he tied up The EV captain and former Honduran international Mario Velasco. The EV's rounded game had put them in good stead in their previous fixtures, as they contained their opponents before eking out the result, but Low was not about to be cooperative and fit the mould. Generously fed by Tian and Lee, he sped all over the place, and posed real and present challengers to The EV's shape.
The home team's composure would be shaken after eight minutes of this, and Low would apply the final touches following a close-quarters exchange with
Tian Yonghang. This left him facing only Ho Jing Ah after effectively swapping defenders, and he confidently nipped in to the big man's outside, before cracking a rising effort past Norwegian goalie Sean Huseklepp.
The EV would only then come to grips with the threat Low posed, but at the expense of pushing their own agenda. Grilled would have their supporters worried as they kept atop of matters, and a slightly fortunate free-kick earned by
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim just outside the box, was pinged off the goalframe by
Wong Ping Shun.
Yuki Irie inexplicably was first to it, but Ramprasad Mittal jutted in brilliantly, and caused Yuki to take a yellow card in trying to recover his shot.
The near miss fired up The EV, and they began posing some threats of their own, with Bulgarian striker Metodi Vúlchanov spurring
Wong Tian Han into action with a powerful header from fifteen yards. Their fine run would be halted in the 26th minute, however, after John Gaudens lost it trying to beat
Wong Ping Shun deep in his own half. A couple of quick sideways passes later,
Yuki Irie was in on the left, and he recorded his first competitive goal for the Birds after ten appearances squeezing it in at the near post.
With the duck broken and Grilled in an advantageous position, Yuki seemed to almost swap positions with
Clark Won, as he led
Gene Filippone in asserting a high line.
Djan Bacelar didn't look completely convinced on the sidelines, but found little reason to complain, as this setup held The EV back inexplicably efficiently.
With neither Vúlchanov nor Pawłowski particularly quick on their feet, Grilled's constraining of the play put them in good stead, and they reached half-time with little further incident. Some adjustments during the break, in particular the direction of Kevin Bomhöffer to be more assertive with the ball, gave the home side some impetus, but they continued finding open chances hard to come by.
It was not that much different for the Birds, with the distinction that they were penetrating much further into The EV's territory.
Low Aik Jia blazed through in the 59th minute after a long barren stretch, and lofted a flat cross that
Clément Meyer attacked with gusto, only for him to mess up the actual connection.
The EV would get the goal they sought five minutes after that. Bomhöffer's persistent incursions would finally bear fruit, with Won and Yuki positioning themselves badly in the face of his meandering run, and he got a strangely-angled lob to Pawłowski with the outside of his boot.
Gene Filippone went up to challenger, but Pawłowski had claimed the space, and thundered his full-frontal header past
Wong Tian Han with undisguised venom.
That brought the expectant home crowd to its feet, and The EV would bustle about in search of their comeback. That was not happening, however, with
Tian Yonghang for one putting all his hard-won delaying tactics into play. Velasco wasn't happy about that, but had no direct response, and Grilled actually slowly wrested back possession from the hosts.
There yet remained slight hope for a sudden reversal in the tightening game, but more individual magic from Low down the left put paid to that. His frantic dribbling opened up a hole for
Lee Lee Hao to sneak in unaccompanied, and although Huseklepp would push his first attempt back, Lee retained enough balance to lift it over the goalkeeper to decide the match.
