Gutingi Got Gud
Five Star Chia
Grilled Birds would see a player score five or more goals for the first time since Bernie Egan's six-goal feat against Garpe-Shan United fourteen years ago, as
Chia Kwang Tse found five against Liechtenstein II.2 visitors Gutingi Wizards this afternoon. While most Birds fans would not have pegged him as one of the club's premier goal threats, Chia gave notice that he was ready to step up into that role, with an almost-oppressive performance against the Wizards' unfortunate back three.
That, by the way, was a bit of a mishmash, with senior Czech sweeper Michal Netopilík guiding homegrown defender Christian Marxer, and returning youngster Dirk Söldi, freshly back from a two-week loan in Germany with FC Blutgrätsche 2006. This was not a combination that would stop Grilled's attack for long, as
Chad Thach indicated with his goal in the second minute after skinning Marxer from the right.
There was little indication of what was to come yet, as Swiss midfielder Omar Järmann led a diligent rearguard action, with 20 year-old forwards Alexander Jelinek and Maic Freichel demonstrating much potential with their constant running at the Grilled defence. They would not have too much opportunity to do so, in the main, and the Birds would be free to take risks with their hefty possessional advantage.
Damian Hutter sliced deep into the Wizards half after 27 minutes with the midfielders having pushed them back, and Chia would be left with an easy finish for 2-0.
This was only the beginning of what could only be described as a rampage by the Number 25, who terrorized Marxer from thence on. Chia's second would come after a run across defence that saw him double up on Söldi, but it was not as if Wizards goalie Tommy Walch had a particularly bad day; he would make a great save off
Lim An Keng just a minute afterwards, and also from
Toma Tamiya and
Damian Hutter before the half was out... but could not prevent
Chia Kwang Tse from completing a hat-trick by the 38th minute, as he predicted the trajectory of Toma's cross perfectly.
The near six thousand home fans called for more from Chia, and soon after
Yee Jian Hui came on for
Radovan Jaška at the beginning of the second half, they would nearly have their wish. Chia fired inches over the bar from a scorching drive down the middle then, but he would not be perturbed in the least. Four minutes later, after Grilled repelled an ambitious Wizards free-kick following
Chad Thach's foul, Chia got his fourth as he took it past Netopilík on the dribble, smooth as silk.
It became a game of how many Chia could get after that, as his teammates quite pointedly directed their assist efforts towards him, even as the Wizards defence tripled up on him on occasion. Even that didn't keep the on-fire striker from recording a fifth goal in the 69th minute, though in fairness that was probably more down to the neat interplay between Yee and
Mohd Marzuki Khairul, that left Chia with tons of space just five yards out.
Tian Yonghang let oldies
José Luiz Velho and
Teo Chuan Yong on for the final five minutes, as the visitors mounted one final, huge breakaway attempt, deep into stoppage time. Marzuki had failed to connect with Toma's free-kick delivery then, and the charge saw about the entire Wizards team go all-out for a consolation goal. Sadly for them, the teenaged Lucas Nägele ran out of steam with his last stride, and dragged his effort slightly wide with
Cameron Law having gone to ground.
