Trafford Tonking
A Teo Return
Cambodian II.1 side Old Trafford 2003 have not had the best of times in their league thus far, and the affiliates of Italian sixth divisioners non vincete mai could not come up with an exception on their visit to The Cooking Pot. The downpour throughout the match actually probably helped their preferred defensive outlook, but still could not keep the Birds from putting three past their English goalkeeper Daniel Terres.
Grilled were undoubtedly itching to put Sunday's 0-4 embarassment by Mayuyu AKB48 behind them, but it would be a whole different set of players to expunge that stain today, save perhaps
Gilbert Webb making a rare start at the back.
Teo Chuan Yong would also be back in the mix after making a full recovery from a serious knee injury, although he did look careful not to place too much stress on it throughout.
The visitors would be led by Italian veteran forward Raimondo Caputo at the head of a 4-5-1, with Estonian Number Four Sander Rätsep probably their biggest other name - starting at leftback. Trafford could not be accused of having much of an ambition to push the envelope here, with Rätsep and Serafino Iliucci very much focused on tracking Grilled's wingers.
Egemen Dinçer Ferzan did make himself a nuisance on the overlap, but a good understanding between Rätsep and Chinese import Yu Shuangquan, mostly shut him down.
A set-piece appeared necessary for an opener under these circumstances, then, and Terres being forced to bat the ball away with his hands, after an underhit backpass from a defender, provided Grilled with an indirect free-kick in the 26th minute. The wall was big - perhaps too big - and it was an easy decision for
Teo Chuan Yong to go around it, with a simple tap across to
Prokop Mottl. Instead of shooting, the Czech forward fed
Chia Kwang Tse's supporting run, and Chia then walloped it over to the far top corner for 1-0.
That was the only finish that Grilled managed for the first half, as Trafford clammed up for the remainder.
Mohd Marzuki Khairul would exit for
Chad Thach for the second half, with
Gandhik Chitre switching to the right wing for
Hwang Teck Fu. As it turned out, this change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered for Chitre, who caught Marcel Bachor unprepared with his comparatively subtle dribbling. There was still Terres to beat, but the goalie committed himself far too early, leaving Chitre to overrun him triumphantly.
The visitors' only clear chance would come in the 55th minute, and it owed much to the vision of Serafino Iliucci. The Italian wingback would first cut out a promising through ball intended for
Prokop Mottl, before darting past several oncoming Grilled players to send Angloan winger Bino Matos on his way with an immaculately-weighted lob over the top. Matos sent it high, however, and it was Trafford to come into trouble immediately, on
Manuel Vadalà's deep goal kick.
That had
Teo Chuan Yong back into Yu before falling forward as the ball came down, and American referee Reynaldo Cedrés would give the penalty after slight hesitation, to the Trafford set's disbelief. There was nothing for it now, however, and Teo would endure the jeers of the small but vocal Trafford fan contingent, before thumping it right down the middle.
Matos would soon be off for hometown boy Sovann Him as Robi Platten decided to give the youngster some experience, and
Chad Thach then received the only booking of the day, for dissent after arguing on a foul call that went against him. Webb and then
Radovan Jaška would be replaced next, not that they had much to do, and a couple more Trafford subs would close the game out.
