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| FIXTURE HISTORY |
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| Season 86 | W | 0 - 4 | League | | Season 86 | W | 5 - 0 | League | | Season 81 | W | 0 - 6 | Tournament (Playoffs) |
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Left In The Shade
Gústav Ganked
Shadow Chaser(R) SC would again be shut out as the Birds wiped them for four at SCR Stadium, despite Khoo Sze Keng's aggressive press that was clearly tailored towards the Birds' passing patterns. This would however cost
Gústav Thoroddsen, who would have to go off just before half time with a strained calf, if having scored just before that.
With the Chasers tapering their formation down to a narrow three at the back,
Tian Yonghang saw fit to adjust to the odd combination of a focus on the wings despite tucking the wingers in, by having the wide forwards fan out whenever space presented itself.
Joe Reece and
Orest Tokarz obliged as best as they could, despite this not being their preferred mode of operation. It was a tough time for the home fans, who had already encountered defeats against Phantasm Hotspurs and Controlar; a third loss was then very much anticipated, even as they had some early successes in swarming Grilled's attackers.
Much rested on star midfielder Shogo Yamaoka to break up play, and while he seldom put a foot wrong for the first twenty minutes, Grilled's movements would slowly exhaust such efforts.
Aw Keng Chuan would find himself lingering on the edge of their penalty area despite supposedly being a defender today, and he would release a wicked blast at the near top corner of goal in the 24th, that goalkeeper Julian Pilichiewicz was just about equal to.
The home side would have to be commended for the adherence to their manager's strategy, and it would be Grilled's players who looked the more put off, with
Joe Reece hauled up for a less than convincing dive 32 minutes in. Reece was never one to sulk about his failures, though, and he would finally break the deadlock a couple of minutes later. Florin Tarara was perhaps expecting Reece to go down again after minor contact, but the Grilled striker fought to stay up as
Egemen Dinçer Ferzan crossed from the left, and he then put in a highly-technical header with the side of his head for one-nil!
Young Swiss referee Valentino Loosli was eager to stamp his authority on the match, and soon after blowing for the restart, he would also take
Gústav Thoroddsen's name down, for his arguing with linesman Gregory Woodward for not calling a foul on Cameron Currier. As with Reece, however, this would merely be the impetus for a goal, as Thoroddsen then made the most of
Orest Tokarz's intimidating approach play, to turn it in off the foot of the near post.
Alas, the unstoppable Iceman would stay but two more minutes on the pitch, as he busted his left calf on the next play. The Birds were focusing on the left wing with Dutchman Talib Umman having a bad day on the job, but this backfired eventually as Thoroddsen stretched too far in trying to gain a yard on the rightback, with Ferzan passing short. The goal-kick would be delayed as Grilled's medic attended to him, which ended with
Evandro La Face being subbed on.
Aw Keng Chuan would also be withdrawn for
Damian Hutter in short order, as La Face wasted little time in registering himself on the scoresheet. Having yet to touch the ball in what remained of the previous half, the Spanish maestro would continue targeting Umman as Grilled started the second one at a turbocharged pace, and he pounced on loose control to make it 3-0 two minutes in.
With little left to lose, the hosts would feel free to express themselves more, which might have been a better approach from what transpired. Experienced Swedish winger Thom Godling had been saving his strength for when it mattered, and when
Brian Reddy advanced heedlessly in the 50th, Godling was there to race forty yards down the now-empty flank unopposed. He would still require a teammate to polish off his cross, but Mitja Tolonen bent it wide with
Dimitris Germanakos having gone to ground.
This was a lucky escape for the Birds, who went back to route one football, and had
Orest Tokarz positioned temptingly ten metres out, only to sidefoot it past the far post too. Godling then had his own opportunity to score after Li Jie Meng volleyed it blindly to him at the far post on one of the Chasers' longest possessions of the day, but he was unfortunately unprepared for the gift.
Well, it was not like that was actually going to save them from defeat, and Grilled would instead find their fourth with twenty minutes to go. It was nothing that the hosts could be blamed for either, as they had men in all the right places when
Ha Qicai pumped it in from deep - it was just that Ferzan managed to throw himself into an overhead kick, that came off perfectly for a highlight reel special.
