Monstrous Misjudgment
Tian Yonghang was filmed thrashing his waterbottle into the ground as Ramos' goal went in, and while he had collected himself before the post-match interview, the Birds head coach remained resolutely unamused at the late collapse. "I have got to admit, it's not turning out well for us at all." he managed. "What I had hoped would be nine points, became just two - and worse, I'm not sure what more we could have done."
He refused to single out any player for blame, despite
Damian Hutter's evident shortcomings, nor attribute the slump to
Chan Ze Han's absence. "Chan means a lot to us, definitely, but the team is - should be - bigger than him.
Phua Ming Xin continued showing his qualities today, and I don't think we have seen all of him yet. This can't last."
Well, it might be another dicey encounter next week, as Grilled Birds host an improving Mayuyu AKB48, who humbled tpyers 5-2 today to rise to third. The Birds can take small consolation in being the first club to peg Controlar back, as Good Luck FC approached within one point by absolutely smashing Offshore Haven, 8-0. Down below, fellow strugglers KickzFC and MyTeamName played out a desperate one-all draw, which might well have seen the end of not one but two careers for the former, who lost both Espen Elstad and Avri Marin to injury.
There were better tidings from Toa Payoh's Weng Wong Arenac, as the visiting Buns came away with a 4-0 against the semi-professional Aloka Monsters. Starting goalkeeper
Gilberto Sorondo would retire after twenty minutes with a strained groin, but it was not like replacement
Louis Lee was called on much.
Ong Li Jing had gotten them going on a dropped corner by then, with
Toh Eng Guang,
Vitaliy Efendiev and finally substitute
Ho Ah Kian rounding off the scoring.
This sees the Buns up to fifth, as FC Sattarian Island continued their perfect run with the same scoreline against Brotherhood SG, despite a late Espen Pettersen dismissal. Brighton UK kept Really McCoys looking for their first point with a 5-2 away result, and WhiteSandsMechs upset Mangrove Pittas 4-3, with Bogdan Sigmund completing an incredible comeback from 1-3 down.
It was business as usual for Grilled International, and although they did hit seven past a hapless Ponyhof, it remained somewhat unsatisfying for the near 37,000-strong attendance at Burung, who understood that only four fixtures would really matter for the season. Perhaps the most consequential of those will be FC Bojons next week, with the French favourites having crushed Nice AS 6-0 in a domestic affair. Amelinho Kickers stayed the pace too as they saw SFK Ajaks off for seven too, while Baboon Show St. Pauli gave a good account of themselves in edging Elefanten der Wüste 3-2.
International assistant coach Abdillah bin Mohd, who had overseen the match with
Didi Reidenbach on leave, assured the fans that preparations were well underway for the Bojons challenge. "I don't see why we should be intimidated in the slightest.
Umut Koza for one is about as hot a property as it gets in this league, and with the right support, he can surely bang a couple in when it comes to him!"
