Dios Dig Deep
Hwang Teck Fu applauded a busy showing from Turco at the Pot today. "Don't be misled by the scoreline, they were running us ragged at times." the Birds man asserted. "It was a very young defence they had out there, give them a few more years."
Newly-crowned Consolation Cup winners Farmer Bunnies took on local H.A.L VII.2153 leaders Jormungandr, and the spin-off of Italy's borteam attracted over two thousand to their Ang Mo Kio stadium for the event.
Koushan Khatibi, who won a trophy on his first appearance for the Buns, got the opener in off the post in the 42nd minute, that had Jormungandr winger Teo Chang Tong raise some concerns with his anguished fall in the buildup. Teo turned out okay, thankfully, and his left-sided counterpart Shoya Hirakawa then narrowly missed getting onto Chow Kian Qiang's cross.
Gabriel Priebe would be booked for a messy two-footed tackle on Vaughn Su right before half-time, but the Buns got right back to business with
Arun Ponnusamy's acrobatic flying kick. Ponnusamy nearly had a second seven minutes later in the 54th, but goalie Bobby Shao saved it; not
Dušan Václavík's, however, and
Gabriel Priebe would round the day off with a confident rising finish from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
The Buns would also receive additional compensation from the near six million dollar transfer of former player Djoko Tambusai, to ambitious Mexican II.2 club Huerton Rico. That the 34 year-old ex-Indonesian youth international was still in such demand, did not come as a surprise to
Vishnu Tallapaka. "Djoko was always quality." the head coach said. "Pity we are so stacked in defence now, he would be a clear buy elsewise."
Grilled International would go down on penalties to Honduras II.4 visitors FC León de Dios, who got off to a quick start when Fabián Rojas slid onto Leonardo Gómez's centered ball on an eighth minute rush.
Hardi bin Besar matched that with a brilliant curler eight more minutes on, and after some misses by
Chua Jun Long,
Leri Bezhanishvili fired home in the 49th, only for Heshmat Pourdastmalchi to equalize with ten minutes left, on a rare Dios attack.
Safari bin Hj Jali hit the crossbar on the only clear chance of extra time, and although International fought back with conversions from
Leri Bezhanishvili and
Remond Bergervoet after going two down, it was not enough. Fernando Brown blocked
Phua Li Kong's cautious attempt in sudden death, and Idar Törnbratt won it with Dios' sixth take.
