Reply Volleys
Cartola On The Case
AkA FC would have longer to wait to get their first victory in II.1, but the draw probably didn't look that bad, given that they had been chasing the match, for most of the time. For all the undoubted talents of Albert Cheng for the hosts, it would be Grilled who would edge possession - but he would be instrumental in keeping AkA closely in touch.
Despite never having met in competition prior to today, the clubs' fates had previously been briefly intertwined, when AkA FC went in for
Zhao Jing Wei upon his transfer listing by Arrogancae. Grilled came up on top that time, of course, and Zhao went on to lift a few more trophies with the Birds, but it would have been interesting to wonder if he might have had an impact on Cheng's development with AkA.
In any case, the pride of AkA FC hasn't done too badly at all, and in Phua Soon Meng has found a reliable foil. They were joined today by the 20 year-old Tan Boon Rong, who has excelled since his promotion from the GreenHorns - and not the least for his impeccable character and demeanor, both on the pitch and off it.
It would all be rather less polite on the field at Boat Quay, however, as the teams quickly threw aside all pretenses at philosophy, instead going straight for the points. With defence being nobody's forte here, this meant an unseemly rush to get the ball in the other half, whenever it was turned over - that said, the spectators didn't object too much, from their reactions.
The game was anybody's at this point, with heart-in-mouth moments liberally spread all over, thanks to some frankly poor defending, not that anybody seemed to be trying too hard.
Yuki Irie, who had been nutmegged by Alexander Ibarrarte already, evidently thought that he would be of more use in attack... and was proven right. Twenty-two minutes in, he ran in behind on the off-chance of a blocked clearance, and got what he wanted to score.
With the balance having tilted towards them, Grilled began building on their advantage, having been allowed the luxury of sitting back a little. They were certainly noticeably more composed on the ball, and
Hariharan Prabhu did well to keep his wits about him, when
Neeraj Muthyala scuffed it out to him from a forest of legs, in the 32rd minute. Holding it as
Gennady Dvorak made his move, Prabhu found
Rinor Isufi cutting to the near post, where the Albanian somehow squeezed it past Ermin Kožul.
The scoreline wasn't fully reflective of the state of the game, though, and the home team would get the goal they deserved, before half-time. Their Brazilian Number Nine Dinho Cartola had been a real crowd-pleaser, and the end-product arrived in the 37th, when Traian-Radu Zgărdan whipped in a diagonal cross from the left. Although not known for his aerial prowess, Dinho had the fundamentals down pat, and nudged Muthyala aside before dropping his header beyond
Valentin Batâr.
AkA FC would finish the half the stronger side, but without further breakthroughs. The complexion of the game would change after the interval, with Grilled beginning to turn to hogging it in their own territory, and the hosts likewise becoming more deliberate with their attacks.
This slower-paced tempo didn't sit well with the home fans, who were only too happy to remind their team that they were still behind. Indeed, the Birds probably got the better out of it, and they could have restored their two-goal lead in the 73rd minute, when Isufi suddenly sprinted straight ahead. In a seldom-seen feat, Mexican centreback Bruno Santacruz actually caught up from behind, though he did have Marino Malusardi to thank for cutting off one side.
It would be Santacruz's last bow, however, as it became evident that the burst had taken almost everything he had left. Homegrown defender Morgan San came on for the last fifteen minutes in his stead. Seeing this, Bacelar made his change too, and
Mohammad Ramli Saliman replaced
Tian Yonghang, evidently with the intention of matching energy levels.
With time running out, the home team finally began to go all out, and they would achieve what they sought, soon enough. Albert Cheng used his experience to earn a free-kick off
Yuta Nakakita in the 78th minute, and although the initial attempt fizzled out, the ball didn't go very far. Cartola was mulling over whether to go for it himself, when Phua Soon Meng offered a option, and a subtly-slipped through assist saw it all level for AkA FC.
Grilled were roused, and this state of equilibrium lasted all of two minutes. Unhappy at their prize being taken away from them,
Low Aik Jia upped his efforts at carving paths for the Birds, and an overwhelming double act with Isufi saw the opposition defence completely sliced open on the left. There were only too many targets available in the middle, and it would be the reliable
Gennady Dvorak who poked Grilled's third goal in.
This appeared to be enough, and Saliman came precariously close to shutting the door, but wound up rolling his grounder marginally wide. The home fans were made of stern stuff, however, and the minutes became very long indeed for the Birds, as the home players continued to grow in resolve.
AkA FC turned out to have reserved their final push for the last five minutes, and Grilled were totally unprepared for the huge shift in pace that resulted. Now unable to get close to the ball, it was all the Birds could do to clam up, but there was no preventing Cartola from tying it with with his world-class curler in the 87th minute.
In the space of seconds, Grilled had gone from being comfortably on top, to hanging on for dear life; AkA were hardly done, and they resumed their barrage immediately after the restart.
Ang Leong Kum could do nothing as Sigismondo Govoni circled around him on the outside, and Aviv Gershon looked to have won it for the hosts, with his powerful unopposed header on the cross.
Valentin Batâr continued building his reputation, however, with an unbelievable spring across to save, that broke many an AkA fan's heart.
Bacelar couldn't signal for a tactical substitution quickly enough, and
Rashid bin Ahmad flirted with a caution for time-wasting, as he made a show of tying up his shoelaces on the sidelines. The match's only yellow would go to Cheng in injury time, as it was, with the AkA star going overboard on
Hoàng Trung Quá, in trying to secure a famous comeback.
