Dragonslayers
Veteran defender
Yuki Irie, who clocked in a full half for the first time this season, declared that he had enjoyed himself. "The see-sawing scoreline, one team hounding while the other tries to unlock them, the last-minute shock winner... this is what got me into soccer in the first place."
He didn't lay off entirely on the critiques, having opined thus. "The Iron Lions were quite vigorous, but we should never have allowed them to get close, much less take the lead. Some of the guys are still losing their patience far too easily, and if we're going for a possession-based game, that's unacceptable. The past generation of midfielders such as Zhao Jing Wei and Lee Lee Hao would not have fallen for that."
Back in Singapore, the Bunnies were held up by Welsh Division Three club FC Trojan Atlantis, who had to cancel their trip due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead, they gathered a lineup of amateurs and fans through local networks, and this ragtag bunch under their banners were duly thumped 6-1 by the Buns.
Sunil Patel impressed with an early brace, as
Vivian Grubenmann got an outing as a centreback.
Richard Agyei would however have to endure a dicey moment after experiencing a searing pain in his calf, no thanks to a terrible late tackle from behind by schoolboy Mohd Atiq bin Ahmad.
Mohd Atiq was instantly dismissed, but that would have been of little consolation to Agyei, had the injury been severe. Luckily, it would turn out to be more bark than bite.
Head coach
Dalibor Kostadinović was for one relieved. "After Wong, this would have been too much bad luck. I don't think the spate of injuries is down to our training regime, but we're having specialists in for a review, just in case."
And over in Guatemala, Grilled International ripped III.10 side Black_Dragons F.C. by five goals, in a comprehensive display that had
Roar Olaisen chuffed.
Hardi bin Besar was a clear Man of the Match despite playing only the second half, as he was near-untouchable up top, and signed off with assists for
Wang Chu Chi and
Yao Erguo.
Olaisen noted that the Dragons had been prevented from even testing
Saswata Shah over the ninety minutes. "Everything clicked today, but if the guys know what's good for them, they won't let it get to their heads."
