Challengers Upset
Consolation Win
Grilled stormed to a 5-0 result against Robbie Football Club without ceremony to halt their derby losing streak, but Team Geylang fell to the Local Challengers as Codingin Football Club, ExiFier FC and Thorocozzieq FC won their respective fixtures for an aggregate 3-2 victory.
The other games were out of Grilled's hands, so they will have to be content with doing the business agaisnt their own opponents on a waterlogged pitch. Robbie FC were initially scheduled to meet SCEFC, a team with which they have some history in III.15. Miscommunication placed them against Grilled, with whom they had yet to meet.
Robbie FC looked smart in their blue long-sleeved jerseys, an uncommon sight in the Singaporean climate, and black shorts and socks. They were obviously aiming to score as they fielded three up front to test a Grilled defence that had seen better days, but ended up badly undermanned at the back themselves.
Dani Spirig took only three minutes to pierce the visitors' defence, as Grilled went up in numbers, leaving the Robbie FC defenders with a headache trying to decide who to mark. Spirig ended up as the free man, and Hjortlind rolled the ball into his path for a short sprint, then a solid shot that beat German goalie Joachim Hering.
Ola Martinsson, relieved of the pressures of league competition, then showed flashes of his old self. He had a wonderful time against the opponents' only two defenders, Sverre Knudsen and Marcel Androne, and cleverly took the ball between them to poach Grilled's second goal.
He would shortly after get another, thanks to
Dani Spirig who did very well to put a quality cross into the air. Hjortlind had the first bite as he approached from the near post, though he did not get enough height on his jump. Hering went to him, however, and was left stranded when Martinsson cushioned the ball over the line with his forehead from two metres, the simplest of finishes.
It was almost a hat-trick for Martinsson as Grilled began the second half strongly, urged on by fans starved of domestic success. He had a clear shot inside the penalty area after an earlier effort by Alcántara was blocked, but scooped the loose ball too high by a good distance.
There were to be more goals as a particular Polish defender hadn't gotten started. First, he converted a penalty given after Olaru fell in the box, fooling Hering as to his intentions. A minute later, he caught the luckless Hering too far from goal as he sent a guided missile into the net from over thirty metres out.
Grilled were again reminded of their need to teach
Bukhari Abd Hamid about unnecessary fouls, as he half-dragged Floras Kazesalkus to the ground with the game decided long ago. Not surprisingly he was booked for that, and were he a first teamer he would probably find it difficult to keep himself eligible for games.
