Fallen From Grace
Yamada Honour
Having done the league double over Grilled Birds last season, most would have expected Glory Paradiso to at least make it a right battle at The Cooking Pot, all the more with the arrival of highly-rated Argentine playmaker Ramón Fox from Semillero De Troncos, for over S$7.4 million. Fox would however be nowhere to be seen as 25 year-old former youth national forward Jacob Yamada made his first start against the Birds - as captain, no less - and it would be Yamada to notch a lone consolation goal, as his team was systematically taken apart.
There would be whispers as the visitors' Hungarian head coach Pavao Prgeša lineup was introduced, with the 5-2-3 being obviously some levels beneath what they were capable of putting out. The absence of Number Ten Gilbert Chung to injury was expected, but other than Fox, the likes of Ajwad Mohd Raimi, Jonathan Yang and Jose Andrés Escalante were nowhere to be seen either. Second-stringers Chee Chao Heng and Colton Duan would start alongside Yamada, as Paradiso put their faith in counterattacks.
Unfortunately for them, their back five would not prove capable of delivering direct balls, and it was far too much of an ask for 33 year-old RM Chowdary to provide the linkage as their only central midfielder. For all that, Paradiso would hold out one way or the other till the 28th minute, the point at which
Chia Kwang Tse finally broke through from the left to open.
Lim An Keng nearly forced a second past German custodian Malwin Borbeck as the Birds followed up with a free-kick, but his improvised chest-to-knee effort spun away from the goal.
Not to worry, Grilled Birds were only just getting into the spirit of things, and after 18 year-old defender Yang Fu Kuan gave up a yellow card in the 34th minute,
Aw Keng Chuan got the second as the free-kick got only partially absorbed by the defensive wall. Ang Fu lofted Paradiso's own take straight to
Dimitris Germanakos as Yamada was fouled running at
Ha Qicai on a counter, and then it was 3-0 as the Birds hit it long, and
Brian Reddy squared it to
Chad Thach from the right.
Sometime-keeper Ang Fu would have his defenders sorted out for a bit as the match resumed for the second half, at least until
Paulino Trindade decided to strut his stuff. The winger relished his newfound starter status with a precise cut-in-and-drive that Robben would have been proud of exactly on the hour, before another near clone six minutes later. He would then try his hand at assisting
Hwang Teck Fu with some delightful trickery to send Trevor Kim the other way, but Hwang wasn't paying attention, to the home crowd's displeasure.
Grilled had this one nonetheless, and after
Mohd Marzuki Khairul - making his century start - was clearly sent flying by a stray leg in the 74th,
Aw Keng Chuan stepped up to put the penalty past Borbeck with authority.
Chad Thach then had luck go against him as his impressive run 82 minutes in ended with his shot coming off the foot of the post and result in Micah Liu being set free on the right for once, and Liu would keep his nerve in waiting until Ha had committed, before shifting the ball over for Jacob Yamada to polish off.
Yamada might have regretted making a show of retrieving the ball for a quick kick-off, though, as Grilled won a corner with
Gandhik Chitre forcing one off Fu, and
Lim An Keng brooked no opposition in his single-minded leap onto Aw's delivery.
Teo Chuan Yong and
Chan Ze Han would then enter right before Chitre got one for himself in added time, as Paradiso switched off prematurely.
