One Step To Glory
Marzuki Back
It would be a fourth Challenger Cup final - and third Sapphire one - for Grilled Birds in five seasons, which would be attained against the only club to prevent them from reaching the final in that period: Glory Paradiso. The Woodlands III.15 challengers had thumped them 4-2 through an Idhlan Abdul Fattah hat-trick in a third round knockout then, but neither he nor Gilbert Chung would feature today, having scored three between them in a 4-1 league win over Bubble Experience on Sunday.
This was hardly to say that Hungarian head coach Pavao Prgeša was throwing the match, as he fielded a no less potent homegrown forward line of Ajwad Mohd Raimi, Jonathan Yang and Jacob Yamada, that had the 31 year-old Raimi moreover leading the cup scoring chart with seven goals. While Paradiso were very much on par with the Birds in that department, all too much would be on Argentine star Ramón Fox in their two-man midfield, as they sought to play on the break. 44 year-old former national star Ler Yun Qiang continued to be a controversial choice at leftback, as goalkeeper Ang Fu made his intent to hold out against Grilled's striker very clear.
For the Birds,
Hwang Teck Fu would unexpectedly be dropped to the bench, as
Dan Alstani selected
Mohd Marzuki Khairul to spearhead the attack, in his first game for a fortnight after injury.
Chia Kwang Tse and
Lim An Keng would partner him as
Chad Thach got the nod over
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko in midfield, with both
Phillip Nagata and
Wu Ping De starting on the wings. This was close to Grilled's most offensive configuration available, with the possible exception of
Aw Keng Chuan as a defensive stopper in central midfield.
Horses for courses it was then, and Alstani would have his tactics quickly proven correct for once. Most of the pre-game commentary had the first goal being especially important here - and there were few signals that Glory Paradiso would claim it. Grilled were yielded far, far too much freedom to shift the ball as they would in midfield, and Ler's lack of pace would be too much against Nagata in the fifteenth minute. It would be too late by the time Fox tried to reinforce the left, with the winger having found
Chia Kwang Tse's head on a short cross.
Chad Thach made it 2-0 in the very next minute as Paradiso went for broke from kick-off, with
Wu Ping De isolated against a similarly-ageing Jose Andrés Escalante. Ang Fu nearly lost his cool at that, but there was no time to rest;
Hisham Zubari would be booked for a lazy trip on Raimi, but the free-kick came to nothing, and Fu would be called to make a double save from the return ball - first from
Ananda Hettiarachchi's lofted curler, and then from
Genki Nagano after
Lim An Keng put it back into the box.
The 33 year-old Number One was turning out to be something of a saviour for his team, who would have long been sunk without his heroics in goal. Grilled Birds were not slowing down yet, and Jonathan Yang flirted with disaster in the 21st minute, when his good-faith attempt at defending caught Marzuki late in the box. There was pandemonium as young Saint Vincents referee Isaac Nash deliberated with his assistants, before awarding a yellow card and penalty.
Genki Nagano struck it well to the bottom right, but Ang Fu had chosen his spot, and Nash was uninterested in the Birds' complaints that the goalkeeper had moved too early.
A two-goal lead was a mostly-fair reflection of how the match had gone at half-time, and Glory Paradiso tried to start the next half as a changed team, as they attacked from the restart. Paradiso could be quite good at short passing when they wanted to, it transpired, and Ramón Fox wound up bearing down on goal with Zubari desperately trying to keep up, after Raimi had pulled Ananda wide.
Radomil Marcol steeled himself, but Fox thrashed his drive barely past the far post, after briefly hesitating.
This turned out to be Paradiso's top chance for the day, as the initiative returned to Grilled Birds and
Chad Thach found the side netting three minutes on, following some great work by
Genki Nagano on the overlap. The Woodlands side remained up for the struggle, to the delight of their fans, who cheered sweeper Ong Yeng Eng's dispossession of
Lim An Keng on the touchline in the 62nd minute. The referee awarded the corner to Ong's incredulity, leading to a remonstration that had the veteran defender booked. In any case, slow-motion replays showed that Nash was probably correct there.
The corner would be cleared by Yang Fu Kuan as it was played towards the near post area, and although Grilled Birds retained possession on the left flank, they were unable to prise the Paradiso backline apart, resulting in Lim going for the spectacular with an overhead kick. That would be cleared diagonally down the field with Ajwad Mohd Raimi hot in pursuit, and the Paradiso forward would have gotten a clean shot off, had
Hisham Zubari not caught up at the last instant.
2-0 still felt like a dangerous lead for the Birds, who were beginning to buckle whenever any of the Paradiso strikers received the ball deep. Their supporters would call for a third to make sure, and their prayers were answered 73 minutes in.
Genki Nagano went low and short from the corner flag again, and
Mohd Marzuki Khairul appeared to have no space to work, as he fluttered into a crowd of defenders. A clever brush with the outside of his foot was all it took, however, as the ball went in off the far post with Ang Fu swiping at thin air!
Glory Paradiso refused to give up, and they would again keep it moving with flair from the resulting kick-off, although it surely had to be too late by now. Ler Yun Qiang squeezed one through to Ramón Fox, but Zubari was there again to block, and Grilled's response playing through the middle had
Aw Keng Chuan blast it some yards over the crossbar.
Genki Nagano had one last try deep in added time as the Birds pressed forward, but Ang Fu did himself proud with yet another world-class flying save.
