Afterquake
Hwang Lights Way
It has been nineteen seasons since Grilled Birds last played Batok Earthquakes, also in Division Two then; it ended 3-1 to the Birds then with the trio of Moey, Kalki and Chan scoring, a scoreline that would be magnified at the Earthquakes' expanded Ground Zero today. Having bounced between the second and third divisions since then, 76 year-old head coach Lokmalhakim bin Abu Shah has gotten them back on the right track after taking over several years ago, if with minimal buying. Teenaged defensive tyro Quek Pin Ze remains his biggest purchase at near four million, with Chew Aik Keong joining soon after.
Quek would start in central defence today, with Kenyan international Kapuki Oyoo to his immediate left, and Cambodian national icon Khemera Luu - nearing his century cap at all levels - on the flank. 37 year-old club loyalist Ong Rong Jing led them at rightback, maintaining his fruitful partnership with the slightly-junior former Lion, Phua Long Feng. Egyptian striker Abd El Galil El Batran carried their goal hopes in a deep-lying 4-5-1, with Lokmalhakim blending a team of varying ages and talents.
Grilled's major tweak for the day would be in dropping their midfield stopper to start
Hwang Teck Fu together with Marzuki and Chia, a tactic clearly brought on by the Earthquakes' expected defensive focus.
Tian Yonghang was spot on with this adjustment, as the Birds went about pressing their opponents deep from the outset. It wouldn't be long before a fancy
Chad Thach backheel saw Hwang pierce through a tiny gap in the Earthquakes back five, and a powerful hit with his instep saw Marco Raimondo just a little to slow to block... one-nil!
The home fans remained upbeat, but not for much longer as young English referee Audley Parker spotted a sneaky elbow into
Gandhik Chitre's back by a chasing Muhammad Hairulnizam Shamsuddin, in the 26th minute. That was
Raúl Himadas' cue to step up, and a last-instant twist of the hips had Raimondo lean the wrong way, for an easy finish rolled into the bottom right. The glumness would spread in the gallery as Grilled continued their systemic passing unabated, and it would be 4-0 by the 39th minute, with
Chia Kwang Tse and then
Chad Thach finding the net in turn.
Thach's wonderful snipe from some eighteen yards would surely make the week's highlight reel, as the national star carried on from his late goals against Manchester Cavallo and tiegdir. This had the Birds all to casual with their next attack, however, and after
Raúl Himadas curled it over from the far edge of the box, Raimondo found Grilled's defence lagging with a quick and low goal-kick. Replays suggested that Abd El Galil was offside before
Ha Qicai hauled him down, but Parker was not about to rescind his decision with the fans already baying for blood, and Phua Long Feng hammered it just beyond
Radomil Marcol's reach.
That goal lifted the home supporters' spirits to no end, and they would sing hard through the break, with Earthquakes making the Birds look nervous with some sharp combinations right after the restart. Unfortunately for them, nothing came off with Grilled having the numbers to handle those, which was more than could be said for the hosts when a hasty attempted clearance came right back at them, in the 56th minute. This fell right between Quek and Niko Antikainen, and just in the right spot for Hwang to get to it before either of them, which was 5-1.
This was it for 41 year-old skipper Lim Cheng Hui, with Wee Chuan Han offering some fresh legs in midfield. Sure Wee might only be about four years younger, but he had lost little of his moves, judging from how he sidestepped
Chia Kwang Tse right as Phua squeezed a short ball in from his wing. There was still work to be done with Himadas rushing in, but Wee would keep the ball close to himself with a brilliant first touch, before scooping it past Marcol.
Grilled Birds were still comfortably in front, of course, and this assurance allowed them to keep playing their preferred attacking game, and to great effect.
Darko Andrović found himself unmarked in the middle in the 70th minute, but his skipping grounder went wide. No matter, he would have the wits to restart the game quickly after Phua was booked for a late challenge on him nine minutes later, and after the ensuing charge had taken many of the Earthquakes' defenders out of positions,
Raúl Himadas notched Grilled's sixth with an oh-so-precise pot.
