Camp Nous
Incredible Ikem
Like last season, Grilled Birds were unable to get the better of FC Barca Singapore at their formidable Camp Nou Singapore, but the over 65000 that attended would be treated to an extravaganza well worth the ticket price. That previous edition had Chris Jourdan drive Barca to glory, and although Grilled then had
Hwang Teck Fu lead them to a 4-3 reverse back at The Cooking Pot, both these matches would pale in terms of sheer spectacle compared to this highest-scoring affair yet, between the sides.
Chris Jourdan, who had scored against the Birds in each of those games, would be missing from FC Barca Singapore's squad today, having featured in his team's last-gasp victory against Tampines Phoenix F.C. in the cup; this was probably a wise precaution, given how he had just come back from a month's layoff, from breaking his right ankle in an away friendly at England's Beckenham Town. Bosnian Number Nine Ajdin Vanović would return on the left, though, with Slovenian boss Tobi Urbancl having turned from transfer wheeling and dealing towards getting the best out of his players.
This has had Barca build a seven-game winning streak, the same as the Birds, and the commentators would repeatedly harp on one or both of these having to end today. The hosts definitely were the more motivated from the kick-off, perhaps due to their fans cheering them on at full voice. Grilled would have
Chad Thach as a notable absence with his borderline performance on a late fitness test, as they went with
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko and
Aw Keng Chuan providing a holding base for Hwang to operate from in midfield.
FC Barca Singapore were creating the bulk of the chances, and it would take some great goaltending from
Radomil Marcol, for the Birds to hold out as long as they did. Both of Ajdin Vanović and Cezar Cheţan's strikes within the first seventeen minutes were probable goals against the average keeper, and Marcol could hardly be blamed when Nigerian veteran striker John Ikem put it past him on a 32nd minute one-on-one. This finally awakened Grilled, and
Lim An Keng had them back at 1-1 three minutes later, as he challenged boldly for a short
Raúl Himadas corner.
Some pundits had forecast a tight and cautious tactical battle between Barca and Grilled Birds, a prediction that would be well and truly busted from thence on. Lim's strike would be matched the next minute by Adin Åkesson's inch-perfect chip the very next minute, and was itself promptly countered with
Ha Qicai's big header from a
Brian Reddy cross. Vietnamese referee Nguyễn Phúc Thụy was visibly panting as he chased Claus-Dieter Eichstaedt down for a yellow card in the 39th minute, but there would be no rest as he had to trail a sudden Barca push up the left with the Birds wasting the free-kick, and call Aadil M'Madi's clean finish past Marcol.
This had FC Barca Singapore with the 3-2 lead at half-time, which even the Grilled supporters would have to admit that they deserved. Grilled Birds would emulate their hosts in going straight on the offensive for the second half, and
Lim An Keng made the most of M'Madi's absence on overlapping duties in the 56th minute, to apply pressure on the left side of the box - and score. Grilled then took the lead for the first time 65 minutes in, with Himadas scooping a corner deep, in contrast to before.
Chia Kwang Tse was there this time, and he displaced Claus-Dieter Eichstaedt in mid-air to power a header home, with Ivan Ivić being a fraction too late.
Well, it was the Birds' turn to be reminded of the ephemeral nature of leads, as they were then struck by a rapid Barca barrage that saw them take three goals in as many minutes. John Ikem would be in the thick of it all, firstly by positioning himself in
Raúl Himadas' blind spot with Luis Esteban Espeleta slipping through Grilled's midfield prior to the assist. Ikem then turned provider for Cezar Cheţan with a sprint up the left... with the Romanian grabbing another right after, with the Birds' defence by now far too easy to read.
Tian Yonghang would have to risk the referee's wrath in delaying the third restart to allow his players to collect themselves, but while Grilled did recover, it was too late for them to come back from this hole. A triple substitution in the final minute would not prevent Ikem from completing his hat-trick with a speculative run inside, at which he was taken off for Steve Kim to a standing ovation by the home fans. Low Pin Cheng would also enter for M'Madi, right on time for
Genki Nagano to be booked for a bad-tempered nudge from behind on a throw-in.
