Grilled Birds 0 - 4
Haha 
Hollow Chuckle
Haha got their third successive win in cup competition over Grilled Birds, as they bundled a
Phua Ming Xin-led XI out of the fourth round of the Singapore Cup - one later than they had two seasons ago. While the Birds had tied Haha after 120 minutes of play then, today would be a lot less close, with the S-League challengers running up a two-goal lead by the 17th minute, to end 4-0 victors.
Most of the seventy-thousand plus paid spectators at Love Street Stadium had to have expected that, given the pre-match odds; despite Grilled's league success at deploying their midfielders forward, few expected this to work anywhere near as well against a far more polished Haha side, with
Chia Kwang Tse and
Mohd Marzuki Khairul looking a little lost in their new functions. Not only that, Marzuki's reputation appears to have preceded him, with Kok Min Tse latching onto him from the get-go.
Kok might not have bothered given how the rest of his teammates were bossing the game, and despite Grilled going narrow, Haha would soon claim some 60% of the possession - which boded badly for this attack-focused Birds selection. The lack of width would cost the Birds dearly, and Swedish veteran Klas Bernhardsson knew just where to be, as Iranian winger Ali Morad Toufighi took it up the right touchline 15 minutes in.
Ha Qicai couldn't reach the excellent cross, and Bernhardsson mopped it up with a powerful glancing header.
Grilled evidently hadn't learnt anything from that lapse, and two minutes later, Adham Nedal would double Haha's lead in much the same way. Linus Christiansson took the low road in supplying the former national youth star, who held his ground against
Hwang Teck Fu's impingement to score. Things didn't get better for the Birds either, and they would be fortunate that Luis Ricardo Sáenz couldn't get his lob a few inches lower some ten minutes later, it having already cleared
Dimitris Germanakos' late approach.
Well, the Birds still had enough in the bag not to be completely overawed, and they would look quite good when they collected themselves and played their usual game - which was sadly not very often.
Aw Keng Chuan would have a huge part in calming the team down about the 32nd minute, which led to a great cut inside by
Federico Parada, that left a clear passing lane open for
Chia Kwang Tse's advance. Hwang got the through pass exactly right, but Chia took it a fraction too early, and could not keep it down either.
The duo would swop positions for the second half, with Hwang eager to take more risks as a stand-in striker, but this largely came to naught with Ooi Ming Chuan simply too experienced a sweeper. Phua would have next to no luck against Ooi's positioning, and right after Danial bin Nali's entry as a sub for Luis Ricardo Sáenz on the hour, Haha would craft a tantalizing entry for Toufighi right down the middle, but Germanakos wouldn't blink then.
Ooi would finally be on the losing end in the 62nd minute, as Phua threatened to get past him with a sick crossover dribble, only to be taken down by a suspicious-looking fall from the defender. That would get Ooi a yellow card, but Parada's free-kick went right into the wall. Haha would resume their usual business after this scare, and Nali would be on the scoreboard ten minutes after coming on, as he staked out a good spot in the penalty area unhindered, with Haha advancing up the left.
Grilled's woes weren't over despite their cup dreams more or less being shattered, as they conceded a penalty right after; Marzuki swore blind he couldn't have known that Sáenz was behind him as he abruptly backed into the striker, but Tanzanian referee Samson Mwapachu went by the book in awarding the kick. The Birds Number 17 might have felt vindicated as Konrad Wawer duly whomped it well wide, but it would be four goals anyway several minutes on, as Bernhardsson went hard from twenty yards.
The only question remaining was if the Birds would have a consolation, and if that were to come, Phua Min Xin appeared the only viable contender. He would continue to be in Ooi's pocket, however, and when
Brian Reddy dummied it to him in the 79th, his momentary indecision would cost him a clear shot on goal.
Chan Ze Han was all encouraging when he high-fived Phua after being subbed on in the final minutes, but even he must have known that it was all for naught.
