Quake Disaster
Birds head coach
Tian Yonghang would send personal condolences to Viorel Niţu after the match, and offered the use of the club's medical facilities for as long as he required. "It's always horrible to watch a fellow professional suffer, and Viorel doesn't deserve to end his playing career this way. We will be doing all we can, to help his rehabilitation."
Grilled are admittedly not exactly lacking in funding, despite their recent fines sustained, as they received a kickback of over two hundred thousand dollars for former youth forward Teoh Long Yong. The 28 year-old had won two U-20 caps under longtime club CFR-1907-Cluj, but the Romanians would finally agree to his departure for former French Trophée Rubis winners Les Barcelonettes en folie, for a shade under S$11 million. Having just earned automatic promotion to Division Five, the Barcelonettes were naturally looking to shore up their attack, and build on their winning streak of nine.
Tian revealed that Teoh's agent had been putting out feelers back with Grilled Birds too, but there was simply no role for him here at present. "Frankly, we have too many forwards as it is." Tian noted. "Teoh would probably be second-best of them behind Thoroddsen on current ability, but the value proposition simply wasn't there."
Farmer Bunnies will have to wait another season before making a bid for the second division, as they were wiped 0-4 by Batok Earthquakes at their 60000-seater Ground Zero, which was sold out very early on for the qualifiers. Considering what was available,
Vishnu Tallapaka went for a pressing gameplan with a view towards dragging it to penalties, but the Earthquakes were a cut above. The probable outcome was clear long before Cambodian national star Khemera Luu finally nicked the opener past
Gilberto Sorondo after half an hour, with his Egyptian partner Abd El Galil El Batran then humbling
Guan Ming Kum twice for 3-0.
Daniele Chiavicatti's putaway in the 76th minute made no difference, as far as
Mauro Fau was concerned. "That's the difference between divisions." he said grimly. "I can't even start to complain given how it turned out, and frankly, it might be for the best that we didn't luck into promoting."
Grilled International got a 5-0 against Swedish III.38 newcomers Hasses Sega Gubbar IF in a hastily-arranged flight out, as the jet-lag didn't prevent International's XI from punishing an understrength Gubbar. The hosts would start two men down with their Polish boss Szymon Promilus requesting it as an exercise, and International would oblige to the fullest.
Leri Bezhanishvili and
Chua Jun Long made it 2-0 by the fourteenth minute, as they went for a brute force approach.
The second half saw
Waldemar Gołata,
Azri bin Sazali and
Umut Koza join in on the fun, with Azri greatly enjoying his first friendly goal for the team, after he was released by Gołata's well-timed low cross from the left. "It was a brilliant assist." he said.
