Ghosts Banished
Gústav Gorges
The Birds cleared perhaps their greatest projected obstacle towards winning the league title in their opening game, as they edged defending champions Phantasm Hotspurs on their home ground, and some quite appalling conditions as the rains continued to fall. Saudi referee Jaber Al-Otaiba held the match up for ten minutes before deciding to allow the game to go forward, with the hosts showing three changes from the side that beat Grilled several weeks ago.
Former national youth player Fei Soon Chee would return at leftback, as Cheong Leong Kiong held fort in central defence with veteran Lee Kong Siong having been moved on to Cameroon's Les gros œufs tous lisses in the off-season. Marine Parade Kings star Mohd Zabir Azim would also make his debut in central midfield, replacing Muzaffar Fadhlurrahman from that game. There were next to no unexpected inclusions from the Birds, with the biggest uncertainty probably being whether
Federico Parada would get the nod over
Egemen Dinçer Ferzan, which he did.
Phua Ming Xin would be left on the bench as
Tian Yonghang went with his biggest guns, and
Lim An Keng would have to wait his turn too, due to a dip in form.
For all that, the opener would be very swift in coming - for Hotspurs. The waterlogged ground made a mockery of any delicate passing attempts, and the home team adapted readily, as they lifted it into the air a lot more than usual. Abhishek Mundra hit a long pass hugging the right touchline for Prince Huang to chase, and with Parada not getting close enough, Huang delivered a cross at just the right height for the soaring Eng Chi Wei, who met it head-on for a great goal to mark the third minute.
Tian would immediately be up and about in the rain, exhorting his players to keep their calm, and the Birds would indeed soon tilt the flow their way with their slight advantage in midfield. Some patient probing would have
Joe Reece tripped a few metres outside the box in the twelfth minute, and Parada gave Looi Beng Ze something to think about, with his strike that grazed the left post. The 19 year-old goalie would be beaten two minutes after that, as
Evandro La Face received it to his feet after an exciting approach from
Mohd Marzuki Khairul, and reflexively bent it in at the far bottom corner for 1-1.
The equalizer reminded the Hotspurs supporters that they were in for a tough fight, but loud as they cranked up their volume, it was Grilled who were calling the shots now. Cheong Leong Kiong chose the worst possible time for his old calf injury to recur as he faced down a lurking
Gústav Thoroddsen, who did not hesitate to finish as Cheong limped after him - and had to be replaced by Kwek Rong Wei after a brief inspection. Eng Chi Wei had a magnificent drive blocked by
Aw Keng Chuan in the 29th, and it would be Thoroddsen to put the Birds two up before half-time, as he found no Hotspurs defender able to adequately mark him under all conditions.
Phantasm head coach Yee Tse Tong would be out there to encourage his players too as they filed out, some clearly dejectedly, and Hotspurs would come out fighting after resting. They again found their best chances down the wings as Grilled's wide men gravitated towards the inside, and skipper Eng Chi Wei turned provider 53 minutes in, after pushing it past
Brian Reddy. Koh Ping Beng would be engaged by
Chad Thach in a running battle for position on the cross, and won out with a glancing downwards header that
Dimitris Germanakos couldn't get to.
One man would continue to dominate whereever he went, though, and it was
Gústav Thoroddsen, who unavoidably conjured up images of past Grilled greats of yore as he utterly decimated the Hotspurs backline on occasion. Never shy to bet on outrageous maneuvers when called for, he would outbluff Kwek in a contest of nerves in the 64th, as he ran straight at the Hotspurs sweeper. Kwek was likely expecting some last-second diversion, but Thoroddsen instead simply went right through him for his hat-trick, with the referee seeing nothing wrong with the shoulder charge that was thrown in.
Phantasm Hotspurs refused to go down easy, being buoyed by their home believers, and few amongst them worked as hard as their captain, who impressively mostly kept pace with
Brian Reddy whilst taking time off to create his own as well. His eager running allowed Masyhur Zulfadhli to assist him for 3-4 in the 75th minute, but Grilled would win a penalty immediately after, as
Evandro La Face got wiped out by Abhishek Mundra sprinting in on goal. Somehow no card was awarded, but Grilled had no complaints after
Federico Parada slipped it past Looi.
The only thing that Grilled were missing at this point was a goal by Golden Boot holder
Joe Reece, but his best effort - an eye-catching diving header in the 78th - would get clawed behind by the goalkeeper. As it was, Hotspurs threatened a possible equalizer as Zulfadhli grabbed another back after the Birds' triple substitution in the 89th minute, but it transpired that wasting time at the corner flag was just another skill in Thoroddsen's ample arsenal.
