All Under Controlar
Chia Steers
As they say, all's well that ends well, and with Grilled Birds humbly accepting their punishment for non-reporting of overpriced transfers, it was back to regular business. With
Tian Yonghang now back in the dugout, they were well-placed to tackle what might well be a title-deciding match against Controlar, who began the day level on points with Grilled. The reverse fixture had ended 2-2 at The Cooking Pot, and it was clear that the winner, if any, of this match would become the favourite for promotion.
Piotr Kolberg would trust in his standard setup, if with Au Weili shifted to the left to face
Brian Reddy, along minor reshuffling of his midfield. David Ramos was an easy pick with his recent scoring form, with Hans Hendrik Biskopstø continuing to draw a blank, but still quite indispensible for engaging opposition defences. As for Grilled,
Gústav Thoroddsen would return to the strikeforce as the obvious choice following
Phua Ming Xin's hamstring tear, and looked only too eager to establish himself.
The consensus amongst pundits had been for a cagey first half, with zero goals bringing slightly more than even odds - which turned out to be so much hogwash. The Birds were in no mood to dally with the figurative guillotine lifted over their collective heads, and the outburst of energy that they unleashed was more than the hosts could handle.
Chia Kwang Tse was one of those that had been teetering on the fringe of the first team, and he would slightly-selfishly put himself forward with a curled attempt in the eighth minute - just as well, for it bent beautifully around Pedro Vasco Conceição Correia, and into the far end of the goal.
That was Chia's first league goal of the season, but he was hardly done, not with the travelling fans insisting that he go for it again. His teammates were mostly happy to oblige, and Chia hit the jackpot again after stumbling inside with twenty minutes on the clock, as Hesam Ferdos held his tackle back for fear of a penalty. Ferdos made up for it immediately afterwards, as Controlar attacked from kick-off en masse, and created just enough of an opening for the defender to take a pot.
There would be another such exchange around the half-hour mark, with Controlar firing the first shot this time. Once more, it came from the back with Hong Kong star Au Weili facing
Ha Qicai down as Ng Yi Ping sent a low ball in, with Au getting the better of his more-famous compatriot, and Germanakos into the bargain. The Birds figured that imitation was the best form of flattery, and their own all-out rush in reaction saw
Gústav Thoroddsen make it three scoring appearances in succession, surely some accomplishment!
With temperatures getting heated,
Orest Tokarz would receive the first yellow card of the game from Estonian referee Joni Ruohisto soon after Thoroddsen's strike, with Ruohisto no longer being able to overlook the Pole's many little infringements. Controlar were hardly goody two-shoes themselves, and the second half opened with Spanish winger Paulino Faladoiro sending
Brian Reddy into the advertising hoardings. That nearly sparked a fracas with players from both teams rushing to the scene, and the benches also looking ready to join in, but Ruohisto took control decisively and defused the situation.
Controlar were looking very lively at this stage, and an equalizer might well have turned the match on its head. Grilled would lean on their slight possession advantage for all it was worth, though, and Tian's decision to start
Egemen Dinçer Ferzan over
Federico Parada would prove its worth in the 65th minute, as the Turk outmuscled Rashad El Tahtawy to reach
Chad Thach's pass for 4-2. Parada might be a man of many gifts, but it was difficult to imagine him brushing El Tahtawy off anywhere as easily as Ferzan had.
Tian's reaction would be to take
Aw Keng Chuan - who appeared to be struggling slightly with a foot concern - off for
Damian Hutter, which would encourage Controlar to target the newcomer as much as they could, before he bedded in. Ng Yi Ping was first to try with a good improvised cross over to David Ramos, who couldn't quite keep his curler on target. Pau Calleja would successfully reduce the deficit three minutes later, as he picked up Paulino Faladoiro's dribble after the latter had been felled, and slid it under Germanakos.
Au Weili might have gotten Controlar level next as they kept hammering, but with Grilled's backline all but scattered, he would unwisely take the shot on early, and sent it high regardless. The Birds sent it back downfield fast as Controlar's attackers were throwing their hands up in the air, and
Brian Reddy knew what he was doing, as he invited Low Eng Rong to make contact with him inside the box. Ruohisto gave the penalty after review, and
Joe Reece took responsibility by placing it in at the bottom right corner.
Now back to two goals down, the home team knew that they did not have much time left to rescue this game - and perhaps the title race. This had them try to take the tempo up another notch, but it proved too much for Tan Keng Kwang, who had to be taken off after jarring his right shoulder badly. Tong Yi Chuan entered as Reece threatened another goal with a blazing run, and while that didn't come off, he had done enough for Grilled to secure the points.
