Amiens Absent
Walk In The Park
The Birds were back off to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for this week's friendly, where they were hosted by amiens_sc_18, currently challenging T.P.Mazembe for the III.5 title. For all that, it wasn't going to be close at all, with too many strivers on the fringes of Grilled's first team, only too eager to make their mark. Amiens staying with a two-man midfield of Argentine captain Martino Trocchi and Italian Michel Oppedisano didn't help their chances, and they wound up not bothering
Manuel Vadalà - and later
Cameron Law - at all throughout the game.
It was again
Douglas Carapaica and
Sølve Lunde trying their hand at midfield, but with
Salah Kamel also in the mix, there was no way Amiens were coming out on top possession-wise. The first corner kick wouldn't be long to arrive, as Jaime Gamboa had to stop
Kalki Parvathaneni on the left somehow, and it would result in the opening goal.
Bhavya Panigrahi put it in towards the back post, and no-one could prevent
Sølve Lunde from getting above the ball, and flashing it in at the top corner via the shortest distance.
This was but the first of many that Croatian custodian Tihomir Lonzar would have to concede today, despite the best efforts of his defenders. Centreback Rafael Alberto Castropol played above himself, in fact, and was a huge reason why they were only two down by the 37th minute. The additional strike came from
Toma Tamiya, who had been enjoying making little triangles with Kalki and Kamel down the left, and wound up being put through by the latter in the 20th minute.
A flood of four goals would sound off the first half, as the home team's legs appeared to go all about the same time.
Bernie Egan chipped it home in the 37th, followed straight afterwards by Kalki burning Jaime Gamboa for pace. Toma's bid for a second would be deflected out, but the corner would be converted anyway, as
Gilbert Webb's attempt got barely saved by Lonzar, only to fall nicely for Kalki to tap in for 5-0 Grilled.
There was one more to come for Egan before referee Toa Harris exerted mercy, and the Birds would file out for the second half with a new goalkeeper, not that
Manuel Vadalà had had any work to do. 19 year-old
Cameron Law would hardly be called upon either, but he would have to be alert when
José Luiz Velho nearly played him out with a short backpass, early on. Law was onto it before the debuting Emile Tshilombo noticed, thankfully.
Grilled were slowing down regardless, and although both Toma and Kalki remained plumbing the left flank diligently, there was much less of a response from the rest. Still,
Prokop Mottl would slash a neat final ball from Douglas home in the 71st minute, followed closely by Velho's awkward finish, in which he appeared to hurt his own right foot.
Yuta Nakakita was allowed a rare appearance in the last minute, with Panigrahi making way.
