Jedinstvo Jive
Hang's No Sulaiman
The exhibition game between the runners-up of the Bosnian and Singaporean leagues ended in favour of the former, but it took over 120 minutes to decide a winner on NK Jedinstvo's 90000-seater Podno Borica. Even more astoundingly, Jedinstvo had also won the Bosnian Cup this season, and so both sides could be forgiven for seeing a mirror image of themselves in their opponents.
The colours that the teams appeared in were also worth some amusement, as Jedinstvo came out in their usual red-and-white, which happened to be Singapore's traditional national kit. Grilled stayed in their normal green top, but tried out new silver shorts, and were not overly far from the Bosnian design of blue and white.
Jedinstvo arranged a mighty defence with three roving forwards, almost totally abandoning the midfield. It was therefore an invitation for Grilled's young trainees to prove their worth, and they set up shop in Jedinstvo's half. Breaking through, however, was another matter altogether.
Hjortlind was swamped in the fourth minute, and Jedinstvo revealed the essence of their tactics as the ball was relayed to Turo Ryysyläinen with a fifty-metre pass. Ryysyläinen touched it on to Håkan Mikaelsson with little ado, but the 34 year-old striker was just a step too slow, and could only find the side netting.
Central defender Max Tjädermo ran like clockwork up and down the field whenever possession changed hands, and on one such occasion he was gifted a golden chance to strike, as Grilled were left short at the back. There was a collective intake of breath as he slung a dipping shell from ten metres, but it was off by inches and bounced harmlessly off the crossbar.
Vigorous tussling for the ball resulted in a yellow card for the ageless
Lan Tuan-Mu, and four minutes later he was at it again, holding back nippy Swiss striker Dimitri Elflein. This time, though, Lan made a meal of Dimitri's late push, and it was the youngster who was taught a lesson in soccer
realpolitik.
The second half was less mobile as the players seemed to hold back a bit, and the nearly seven thousand onlookers began to get restless. They were appeased just six minutes into the half, though, as Hobson had a great effort parried by Kaltenbach, and the explosive ex-international Amil Alickovic got into action down the right flank.
Capped 16 times at U-20 level and once for the full national squad, Alickovic had
Marcus Liehner totally at his mercy as he pulled the ball one way, then another. With Liehner struggling just to stay on his feet, Alickovic drew Bao-Tam out and neatly applied the finished touch to unabated applause.
Symmetry was restored as
Lorenz Paullin likewise thundered down his right wing, passing Mirza Meskic with unparalleled ease. This took Jedinstvo's other defenders by surprise, and despite the best exertions of German sweeper Thomas Daxböck to shut Paullin down, the Swiss winger had opened too big a lead. Xavier Kaltenbach could do little as Paullin picked his spot.
Bukhari Abd Hamid learnt something about pacing himself, as the speedy 17 year old had expended far too much energy in attacking hopeless positions. It was a miracle that he lasted as long as he did, given his workrate, which was as unproductive as it was admirable.
It was no big loss to Grilled who were virtually uncontested in midfield anyway, but they found no way to unlock the Jedinstvo defence a second time. Hobson's magic had run dry, but he and the other veterans continued to spearhead Grilled's attacks.
Luis Alcántara suffered a minor injury in extra time, but proudly refused to give up and replace himself.
Nothing was forthcoming, and so the friendly would end with penalties, as agreed. Jedinstvo's captain Amil Alickovic added to his regular time goal with a cracker of a shot, as Bao-Tam dived the wrong way. Hobson missed as he opted for showmanship, and it went downhill from there.
French goalie Xavier Kaltenbach was just too good, and he capped his Man of the Match performance by not only saving all of Grilled's tries, but also outwitting Bao-Tam by driving his own effort right down the middle. The appreciative audience gave the combatants an ovation as they left the field, for the two hours of solid industry.
