Goals In The Oven
Morán Mix
The Birds stretched their winning streak to twelve games with today's 8-4 home triumph against frunzelax, who had gone their last five league fixtures undefeated as well - winning four of those. They had memorably defeated Grilled Birds 5-2 previously this season, and two-goal hero of that day Jayadevan Satarkar would be back for the rematch. While he would strike again to threaten a thrilling comeback, that would not transpire, and Satarkar did not finish the game either as he went off for a shoulder injury.
It would be another clash of hyper-attacking 2-5-3 formations as French player-coach Chadi Selawi saw no call to change what had worked so well for them before, though there were a number of switchups. Croatian Carlo Pancrazi would now captain frunzelax at leftback with Isaia Matrisciano moved into midfield, beside Claus Duister. Former U-20 forward Bryan Mian started in attack with Li Fu Ze dropped, as Jorge Catriman kept his spot in goal over 32 year-old ex-Palestine youth international custodian Abdulah Abbas Khawaldeh, who had moved from Syrian League challengers Wild Octopus for S$6 million just last month.
Unlike that last matchup, this repeat would erupt into action from the get-go - and like previously, Myanmar midfielder
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko was the first into the breach, as he broke the visitors' lines with a daring dribble right through the middle. Catriman appeared to have defused the situation with an expert lunge to dispossess Hein right before he could shoot, but
Hwang Teck Fu held off Felix Mporogomyi to convert.
Grilled Birds were thus ahead with barely three minutes on the clock, and they would not allow the opponents to catch their breath, scoring two more by the fifteenth minute.
Genki Nagano would first earn some jeers from the frunzelax fans for his beefier-than-needed bump on Bryan Mian in the tenth minute, about which Spanish referee Romildo Ibarluce tut-tutted before booking him. This was followed by a very strong response by the Birds midfield though, as
Ananda Hettiarachchi and Hein ran through to score in turn, making it 3-0.
This had the considerable home support in the near-capacity The Cooking Pot singing at full volume, but the visitors would show themselves well capable of reprisal, after composing themselves. Ecuadorean national hopeful Walter Morán got it going from the right wing, where he had been keeping
Wu Ping De from advancing with his own non-stop movement. This had him stake out a great position when Edgar Busby bent a long cross in from the left in the 23rd minute, with the Grilled defenders completely caught out by its accuracy.
Chia Kwang Tse re-extended the Birds' lead with his sharp incision from the left side three minutes later, but frunzelax would catch up to within a single goal, by half-time. Grilled always looked vulnerable when without the ball, and seldom more so than when their visitors forged forward straight from the restart, which had Carlo Pancrazi find
Radomil Marcol's back post with a perfect lob. Current league top scorer Jayadevan Satarkar would not be further denied, and he swept home frunzelax's third goal in the 32nd minute, which was also his thirteenth in the league this season.
The game resumed a lot more cautiously no doubt according to both coaches' instructions during the break, with frunzelax clearly waiting for Grilled Birds to overcommit - which had the Birds being loathe to bring too many men up in return. This equilibrium was finally shattered in the 65th minute, when a vigorous rush from
Chad Thach saw him tripped by Claus Duister, right as he passed into the penalty area. Ibarluce awarded the penalty after inspecting the replay for a full minute, and
Houssam Belhocine obliged from the spot with an assured placement at Catriman's right post.
It would be 6-3 four minutes later in the 69th, as
Ananda Hettiarachchi completed his first league brace since his effort against FC Jurong Rovers towards the end of last season. That was after a very impressive dribble too, and all the more consequential for how the run had Jayadevan Satarkar dislocating his right shoulder, from a barge against
Hwang Teck Fu in the build-up. He was obviously unable to continue, and so Congolese teenager Zaire Boles made his league debut.
Boles would not last all that long either, but he would at least personally experience three more goals during his time on the pitch. The initial kick-off was given straight back by Isaia Matrisciano as he aimed for Boles, and
Wu Ping De brightened an otherwise frustrating stint by getting Grilled's seventh goal against Catriman. The Birds then committed the same mistake themselves, which allowed Walter Morán to reduce the deficit again to 7-4, and his fist-pumping celebration was well-received by the frunzelax travellers.
There remained no indication that frunzelax could turn it around at this stage, what with less than twenty minutes remaining, and thus it was with
Chad Thach keeping his own bid for the Golden Boot alive, with a slick reversal in the 78th minute to give Duister the slip, right as
Ananda Hettiarachchi released his through ball. That was also it for Zaire Boles as he went off with a hamstring strain after eight minutes of action, which unfortunately came immediately after Chadi Selawi had spent his remaining substitutions on bringing Loh Hui Yun and goalkeeper Abdulah Abbas Khawaldeh on.
