Five Minute Revival
Hero Li
newbies are newbies did it again as they nicked a home win at the newbies ground after being behind for 85 minutes, for their third win against the Birds on the trot - a record in this long-running series.
Dan Alstani could justifiably feel hard done by at the defeat, which came after Grilled had controlled much of the game, and peppered their goal thoroughly besides.
This was moreover a rebuilding newbies team that had head coach Kwok Wan Yau hock off three starters over the end-of-season break, most notably 38 year-old Italian goalkeeper Romeo Gasparroni to Poland's Bydle Bober. This had longtime reserve Kishore Panjabi start here again, and he would mostly reprise his feats from last season. Centreback Gregor Epplen would leave for Dutch II.1 hopefuls De Snelle Jelles only to be injured in his debut, with fullback Xhemil Nallbani reportedly already looking for a new club after not gelling at French Division Two side AS Monaco City.
There would remain quite a bit of talent in newbies' lineup, most notably 23 year-old playmaker Lam Kang Su, defensive veteran Harry Chong and forward Zhong Kim Tse. Kwok started both Tan Chu Chao and Au Kong Su as inverted wingers to contest the Birds' expected possession game, which turned out to be prescient. As for the visitors, Aw Keng Chuan's last-minute departure had
Mohd Marzuki Khairul in an unfamiliar central midfield role, and
Lim An Keng would get the nod over an off-form
Wu Ping De at left wing.
The slow start probably suited the hosts better, with their players apparently under instructions to contain Grilled as best as they could, while relying on mistakes to spark attacks. They discharged the first part well, if not so much the second, and there would be no attempts on either goal until
Chad Thach sold a light shove by Mike Kim well, in the 26th minute.
Genki Nagano's excellent free-kick delivery called for an equally good one-handed save by Panjabi, but newbies couldn't quite clear it away, and
Hwang Teck Fu forced it into the net two minutes later.
That would finally spur newbies into activity, and a sudden rush from Tan Chu Chao freed Ghani Zakwan on the restart, only for the Number Seven to dash his fierce grounder off
Radomil Marcol's tightly-guarded near post. The teams were losing their shape as the half wound to a close, and
Phillip Nagata duly assisted
Mohd Marzuki Khairul for 2-0, after 38 minutes. newbies got their response spot-on this time with Tan again squeezing in a great cross from the right despite
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko's attentions, and Lam Kang Su knocked it past Marcol from close range.
That goal stood after replays confirmed no intentional contact with his arm, which had Marcol have a word with young Cuban referee Matías Alemán as he filed off for half-time. Still, Grilled had little reason to be unhappy, having gotten the best of the game thus far - and newbies gave them little reason to think otherwise for much of the next. They appeared to have almost too much patience at times despite being a goal down, until
Lim An Keng woke the stadium up with a rocket on the turn in the 71st. Panjabi was nowhere near that, but it struck the angle between post and bar for a goal-kick.
Kwok would animatedly signal for his players to get forward after that, and the football did get more exciting in the last twenty minutes, before it all came to a head in the last eight. Lam Kang Su was a terror at times, and he lost Marzuki to thread it thirty yards to Au Kong Su then; only
Hisham Zubari's quick reactions save his goalkeeper, and the corner was wasted after Tan Chu Chao got himself carded for trying to restrain
Genki Nagano in the build-up.
The free-kick was quickly taken with Zubari amongst the several Grilled men shooting upfield in tandem, and Kishore Panjabi made perhaps his best stop of the day here, in executing the splits whilst throwing a hand out to ward the sthot off. The Birds went from near-ecstasy to dismay with Harry Chong finding Zhong Kim Tse with a long, floated release, and a simple return pass off Chen Meng Heng was enough for newbies to equalize.
Grilled Birds lost their composure at that, as they got severely punished for trying to recover the lost points. Their central push was far too obvious, and left Li Choon An to put his side ahead after 87 minutes, after a rapid turnaround left him as part of a three-on-two raid.
Lim An Keng and
Chad Thach were entirely downcast as they left for
Wu Ping De and
Kendell El Khateeb to salvage the game, but it was instead Chen Meng Heng to rub it in in injury time, and this after Li missed a sitter off Au Kong Su's overrunning of the Birds backline.
