Stallians Tamed
Leong Outlasts
The Birds advanced in the unofficial Asian Champions League with a 5-3 home win over Pakistani Division Three representatives Sargodha Stallian, who did an admirable job of coming back from the dead twice. It took one last push with ten minutes remaining for Grilled to finally pull clear, and backup striker
Leong Wan Kang was at the head of that effort, with two late goals and an assist.
The Stallians had finished second in Group 1 after a 5-0 victory over United Arab Emirates club CF Jumeirah Falcons and a walkover against Lebanon's memorias de un perro mutante - who would nevertheless eventually top the group - though they would suffer a heavy 1-5 defeat to Syria's Glengoyne Glory in the third round. The washout that followed against Minas Tirith F.C. in the league probably didn't help morale, and they flew into Singapore intent on toughing it out.
Stallians were, of course, best known for their homegrown strike trio of Niazi, Karam and Sherzai, who all graced the pitch today. The rest of their lineup was not quite at that level, though, and the
Moey Xin Seng-led midfield didn't take long to impose themselves on home turf.
Seventeen minutes in,
Rinor Isufi found the breakthrough - while Saadat Irfan had represented Pakistan in his youth, he had never been known for his pace, a deficiency hardly helped by his advancing years. Isufi had been itching to isolate the centreback all along, and wouldn't let this big break go unheeded.
The visitors were really struggling here, with Enric Pomar forced into a messy tackle on
Chu Xin Lee just to stay Grilled's thrust, but they found themselves back in it thanks to
Kalki Parvathaneni's schoolboy mistake. Against all tenets of fundamental defensive play, the youngster needlessly tried to save a throw-in, only to send it back in for Badar Sherzai. The first cross went unmet, but Majid Karam would head it in on the second attempt.
That didn't change the overall picture, and the remainder of the half belonged to one
Gennady Dvorak. Undeterred by a magnificent arched header skimming past the post in the 28th minute, the Argentine doubled down with an impulsive lob on the run in the 36th, which sailed neatly over a rooted Kumail Baig.
It was more of the same after the interval, despite a massive performance from José Maciel Oliveira Freitas, and it was only a question of time until the Birds got a third. Sargodha had been waiting for a slip to counter, but nothing suitable was forthcoming, and they instead fell prey to a sustained barrage eventually completed by
Leong Wan Kang.
A washout appeared on the cards, when the visitors suddenly found themselves back in with a shot. Freitas' energy finally paid off after
Yuki Irie's attempt was charged down, and he found himself racing through the Birds' thinned centre, as Rizwan Sherzai carried it upfield. The assist arrived right on cue, with goalkeeper
Valentin Batâr betting that he could get to it first, and coming just short.
The Stallians' frontline would complete their involvement, when third member Shoaib Niazi snatched at a half-chance, on a rare move down the left flank in the 79th minute. Young Fahim Siddiqui's brashness took him past a complacent
Yuta Nakakita, and Batâr was badly placed when Niazi took it early.
A match that looked firmed in the bag was now completely up for grabs in the last ten minutes, but thankfully for Grilled, that was about the extent of Sargodha's ambitions. Uns Sulaiman's directions appeared to be to hunker down for penalties, and they would soon be punished - eager to make amends, Parvathaneni saw his effort rebound off the woodwork, but Isufi rescued it for Leong to retake the lead with a cracking strike right down the middle.
The visitors tried to shift gears again, but their time had truly come and gone, and Younis Malik's shin injury only compounded their woes. Substitute Sepp Gerber had yet to find his feet when Grilled reversed their foray, and
Yuki Irie would provide the extra man to score on that attack.
