Sporting Exits
Safri Not Enough
Grilled were eliminated from the SYRIAN CUP at the bottom of Group A, after they barely earned their second three-all draw of the tournament against Sportivo Minas. Sportivo, who meet FC Antorcha next weekend in a blockbuster winner-takes-all duel for the Campeonato Uruguayo title, appeared to have put the Birds to rest after picking them off adroitly, but Grilled would nearly mount a complete turnaround - not that it would have mattered.
Despite the significance of this contest hanging wholly on El GaGiGa d'Africa beating Rangerovver in the other fixture, both participants were still armed to the teeth, not wishing to go out winless at least. Like Grilled a heavily-local team, they were captained by home favourite and former youth international Ludovico Pereyra, who was joined by national playmaker Luis Ramos in midfield.
The Birds were of course scarcely less well-represented, and with
Zhao Jing Wei sitting this one out to nurse a knock,
Lee Lee Hao took his place.
Clément Meyer went into defence in his stead, with
Ling Fuquan continuing to be out of favour with
Djan Bacelar.
Low Aik Jia, who had distinguished himself so wonderfully against Isle of Flames the day before, was not about to take it easy just yet. Sportivo's Number Seven Nicolás Mello was no slowpoke himself, but the S$9.4 million signing could do little than watch as Low blew by in the 18th minute.
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim knew what was coming, and nodded the cross in with assurance.
Sportivo were by no means purely on the defensive, and they preyed on Grilled's indecisiveness five minutes later. Although
Gene Filippone got hung out to dry by
Zhu Changchun letting Humberto Montenegro through, he should still have done better against the wingback, but instead got sold a little jiggle of the feet, leading to a neat finish tucked past
Wong Tian Han. The Sportivo fans certainly appreciated that!
Grilled then hit back with a powerful charge down the right side, but Ukrainian goalkeeper Maxim Kitaychuk slid his body expertly into Meyer's way. The overcommitted Birds were in no shape to prevent Sportivo from breaking once Eric Buck got it away to Mello, and after making his way inside, he gave it back for Valentin Tumin to deliver right into the top corner.
Wong could hardly be censured for conceding such an exceptional effort, but it still meant that Grilled had to chase the game, and that without much success. Luis Ramos was the very picture of a classic hard-nosed Uruguayan enforcer, and none of the Birds' men quite matched his prodigious output.
This went on for most of the next hour, as Sportivo demonstrated just why they had let in just fifteen goals so far in the top flight. Ramos and Pereyra made an almost unbreakable shield in front of their backline, and although the Birds did manage to make progress wide, the predictability meant that Buck and company had an easy job.
Sportivo were doing pretty well indeed, and they went one better in the 74th minute, no thanks to Low embarking on an unlikely unsupported rush up the left. Montenegro got the ball off him shortly after he was herded into a blind alley, and Mello made his way in the other direction with trememdous pace. Grilled's available manpower strained to catch their targets, and Rodrigo Lugones helped Mello's low cross into the net, all too simply.
Despair turned to hope for the Birds in an instant, as Sportivo evidently thought that they had it won. No-one was interested in tracking Zhu as he steamed straight upfield from the restart, and by the time they realised that he was already in the penalty area, it was too late. Kitaychuk blocked Zhu's initial effort, but
Tian Yonghang elbowed ahead of Buck to clean house.
As Tian rushed to retrieve the ball, a scuffle broke out behind him, which had begun with
Gene Filippone giving Hilary Borecki a piece of his mind for apparently pulling his shirt. If that happened, however, the referee hadn't seen it, and it was Filippone who was punished with a booking for starting the fracas.
The match was coming to a boil despite Rangerovvers running up a four-goal lead to become effectively uncatchable in the other game, and it was a point of pride for the combatants now. A fiercely-disputed free-kick at Sportivo's end was hammered barely wide by
Wong Ping Shun, while Pereyra brought the crowd to his feet with a magical volley with seven minutes remaining, only to watch it clatter the bar.
It would be Grilled who would seize the moment, as Low's relative youth allowed him one last massive spurt of speed down the left, while Mohd Safri mirrored him down the middle. This was almost exactly the combination that had given Grilled the lead, and so it was, as Buck bounced off Mohd Safri in contesting for the header.
There was almost time for Tian to steal it, but Kitaychuk held on tight after
Woon Shun An's hit-and-pray sidewinder caused him trouble. The Birds barely managed to get the game stopped for Low, who had come down with cramps after that last heroic effort, to go off.
Pompeo Bellamoli was eager and all, but didn't manage a touch before the referee blew for full-time on the dot.
