Lagos Slam
Olaru Outstanding
Grilled took advantage of the SCC break to book a trip to Africa, where they faced Nigerian Division Two side Sylom FC. The attendance was nothing to shout about, being not even a thousand souls, but their colourful antics made for a festive atmosphere in the 15000-seater Hawks Arena.
Sylom FC had just a five week history, but their cadre of athletic talent gave Grilled's second team a run for their money. There was no question of an upset as their unorganized attacks generally broke down in infancy; Still, they made it hard for Grilled to score and restricted them to a 0-3 win.
The Birds might have enjoyed a first minute advantage as Hjortlind tested Charly Brume with a savage cannonball, but the multitalented captain wowed his fans with a one-handed stop. The ever-smiling Brume, quite a character, had already opened accounts with a penalty against sulldam fc in the league, following that exploit with a magnificent free-kick that was well saved.
He was totally beaten by Grilled's next serious move, however.
Terkel Borup took the ball past two men before being closed down, and barely managed to sidefoot the ball back into the middle before being dispossessed. Olaru, who had been roving around the edge of the box, tried a first time effort that sailed straight into the net, for his second opener in as many friendlies.
Charly Brume would emerge with the lion's share of the credit for his side, as he proceeded to prevent two almost certain goals from Spirig and Jie Siong in the first half. Spirig's grounder was hard and to the point, but Brume had it covered, while his save from Jie Siong was pure reaction, a slight touch that sent his lob onto the crossbar.
Bukhari Abd Hamid would continue his chequered disciplinary record as he mindlessly stood right over a Marcus Wright free kick deep in Sylom's own half. The referee was about to let it pass, but heated remonstrations from several defenders influenced him to change his mind and produce a card.
The Africans really went into their element as the match progressed, as the temperature soared despite generous cloud cover. Their energetic midfield duo of Jerry Tanko and Patrick Amadi broke up overelaborate passing by Bukhari and company, who tended to release the ball slightly too late.
Grilled may have second thoughts about
Dragos Olaru after the 22 year-old Romanian outdid himself with his lung-bursting sprints down the left. Olaru will have to consider his footballing future in a few months, once he graduates with a business degree from a local university.
Sylom FC looked set to emerge with a very credible result, but Hjortlind combined well with Spirig to squeeze in a second with twenty minutes remaining. Hobson then had cameras snapping with a classy dipping freekick that moved in the air to elude Brume, who had the rare good grace to applaud his conquerer after picking himself off the grass.
