KoKo Crunch
An Keng Everywhere
The Birds' end-of-season friendly in Baki, Azerbaijan had them hammer fellow II.2 club konaraz 8-2, in a match notable for
Lim An Keng popping up with a hat-trick from central midfield. The hosts had 30 year-old star turn Mahir Seyfullayev moving up to striker, with Mahir Əfəndiyev on the wing, both further forward than they generally play. Vasiliy Ampilov captained them at left wing, with 23 year-old Italian Number One Edo Bazzucchi tending goal.
Grilled would field what was essentially their competitive lineup, with
Chad Thach back up top, and
Mohd Marzuki Khairul restored to midfield. Defence was the expection as
Mohsen El Khateeb and
Fu Wenlong were started, and it was perhaps not a coincidence that neither of them were anywhere near Pərviz Babayev, when Əfəndiyev swung an early cross towards him in the third minute. Marzuki did close in, but Babayev's glancing header arced over
Radomil Marcol, and just under the crossbar.
That was about a good of a headed finish as might be seen, but the home team would soon be pushed deep into their own half by Grilled's aggressive midfield line. Teenager Zamin Hüseynli, playing only his third senior game, fared particularly badly against
Lim An Keng, whom he had been assigned to mark. There was probably not much that anyone could have done for Lim's twelfth minute equalizer, that said, after a
Chad Thach rocket came right to him back off the woodwork.
Bazzucchi's workday was only getting started, and he would survive a
Fu Wenlong free-kick that skimmed the bar, before saving Orxan Əzimzadə's bacon after the defender had turned straight into the lurking
Chia Kwang Tse. There was just no stopping
Lim An Keng, unfortunately for him, as he first looped a
Phillip Nagata cross into the far post, before running onto another Nagata assist to complete his treble by the half-hour mark.
That coincided with the konaraz goalkeeper staying on the ground for a while, having pulled his left hamstring stretching to block that third goal. Bazzucchi didn't seem to have fully recovered when
Wu Ping De broke through in the 32nd minute, nor even when
Hwang Teck Fu made it 5-1 about four minutes later. The debuting Tərlan Mehdiyev got some fans onto their feet with a blazing rush right before that, but Marcol's save and goal kick turned the situation on its head.
Damian Hutter replaced
Mohsen El Khateeb for the second half, and konaraz were the better starters once more, as they had Grilled Birds reeling with a spate of fluid advances along the entire front. Mahir Seyfullayev would be doubled up on all this while, but Əfəndiyev had other options when he vaulted past
Wu Ping De's tackle in the 52nd minute. Pərviz Babayev was tightly marked at the near post, leaving Vasiliy Ampilov to scuff it home after the ball went through to him - 5-2!
The Birds consolidated and resumed their unfinished business, and soon found themselves advancing most successfully out wide.
Phillip Nagata might not have had an especially easy assignment against Ampilov, but he did still get past him semi-regularly, and notched a third assist setting up
Mohd Marzuki Khairul's unstoppable volley in the 64th.
Wu Ping De was in contrast more in it for himself, and he collected his second of the day with seven minutes left, after rotating all the way across to the right wing.
The last few minutes saw konaraz lift their game again for the fans, but this arguably only left more gaps behind, with Nagata unlucky not to convert a simple finish in the 86th minute following an initial blocked shot from
Hwang Teck Fu. Hwang was off together with
Fu Wenlong soon enough, and substitute
Kendell El Khateeb proved enough of a distraction to help
Chia Kwang Tse overrun the opposition defensive line in stoppage time.
