Monkeys Well Done
Wong Time Wong Target
Up-and-coming Romanian Division Four leaders MONKEY2000 were nothing if eager to prove themselves against the Birds, but nevertheless got pecked down by a vintage
Wong Ping Shun showstopper. The 32 year-old right winger was right on top of this one despite MONKEY2000's cautious midfield, although he might have been fortunate to receive two penalty pots.
MONKEY2000, in their customary red-and-white halves, were clearly armed and dangerous from all available evidence, with none of their outfielders potentially looking out of place in Grilled's first-choice XI. The exception was trainee goalkeeper Lucian Stoenescu, who did actually acquit himself fairly well.
Their disciplined approach to football soon had the spectators understanding how they had inspired an affiliate club in Brunei, and they could conceivably have drawn first blood even.
Yuki Irie's aura of implacability was punctured by German winger Hauke Landes' turn of pace, which should draw interest from opposition observers; luckily,
Gene Filippone was no slowpoke himself, and managed to keep Radu Bălănescu on his bad side.
Grilled would only ease MONKEY2000 off them with
Clark Won's ugly but effective finish in the 24th minute from
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim's quick-thinking tap-on. Former Ivory Coast youth international Thomas Martel took that one badly, and appeared distracted when faced with
Ang Leong Kum's mishit ball on the Birds' next attack, sticking his hand in its path.
Martel regretted that almost immediately, but it was a clear penalty, which
Wong Ping Shun converted in a quite cheeky fashion. With Stoenescu visibly hyped up for the challenge, Wong gambled that the youngster would commit himself prematurely - which he did - and was left to roll it into an empty net.
The Romanian team were too good to go down from that alone, and German captain Yannic Bröker lived up to expectations as a director of their attacking flow. Dubbed "Poker" by the fans for his penchant to bluff with his actions as much as the rhyming potential, Bröker did indeed psyche the Birds' defence out in the 34th, allowing Kamil Olbracht to rip clear through and reduce Grilled's lead.
The two-goal lead would be restored when
Tian Yonghang, showing few signs of slowing, ducked in to knock a loose ball below Stoenescu's reach. MONKEY2000 again managed a valiant response, but Bröker's sleight-of-foot was met by
Clark Won's scything tackle this time. It was an easy booking for the referee to give, though nothing came of the overhit free-kick.
That warning had been forgotten all too swiftly by Won, judging from how he threw himself into Bălănescu on MONKEY2000's first advance of the second half, which left Grilled down to ten men for the remainder of the match. Unexpectedly, Mohd Safri would be the one to fall back and cover the gap, and to add to that, he did do a very passable impression of a midfielder.
MONKEY2000's head coach Ángel Monárdez settled on a tactical substitution on the hour, putting the more adventurous Matteo Turchetti on for Martel at the back, but it did not have the intended effect. The Birds' midfield proved resilient to their opponents' all too direct drives, and it would be
Wong Ping Shun who would score next, a whirling strike from afar that span away from Stoenescu at the last instant.
This would once again be followed by a spot kick, this time due to Turchetti getting his hands on
Rinor Isufi's shirt, as the Albanian was poised to spring on a probable
Low Aik Jia cross. To some, it might have looked like Turchetti had done the deed some ways outside the penalty area - but Isufi winding up with a torn jersey inside it could have tipped the balance. Stoenescu had no chance against Wong on the second try either, and it was 5-1.
Hometown favourite George-Călin Sglimbea would get another one back for MONKEY2000, following some roughhousing by
Gene Filippone on Timmy Hertog that resulted in a free-kick some thirty yards out. Béla Nacsa slipped it outside to Olbracht, who found Sglimbea unheeded at the back post.
The last word could have gone to
Tian Yonghang, but Turchetti cleared his finish off the line after Tian bent it around Stoenescu. Since Grilled had gotten what they had come for, however, he could afford to be gracious about that.
