Singapore Slam Door
Chew Carries
Grilled met up with defensive excellence for the second week in a row, with the same outcome as they were again held to a draw by a struggling Team Singapore side.
Team Singapore even employed an identical 4-3-3 to Chemistry, and Grilled, wiser for it, adapted by attempting more unconventional plays in an effort to break through. This worked, and
Shen Kek-Tjiang got to van Liere's surprising pass in the eighth minute to put the Birds in front.
The match didn't pan out as
Grilled had hoped, and they found themselves on the back-foot as Team Singapore pressed back.
Quah Han Kok was slow to recover after a failed attack, and the hosts broke away down the right side and equalised through Syamsul bin Md Johadi's glancing header.
Team Singapore then went ahead in the 27th minute through a flashing free-kick from Vaios Rodostoglou, but Grilled's fans wouldn't be dismayed for long as
Jaan Kadak barreled his way down the centre to nick the ball past former U-20 national goalie Chew Xiaolun.
It then became a game of goalkeepers, as Rodostoglou threatened to beat Abed-Sulaiman once more with a looping effort from an indirect free-kick. Ahmed handled the situation well, rushing out to stop the ball before it could reach the onrushing Gingold.
Chew Xiaolun then displayed the form that caused the national team selectors to pick him, as he single-handedly stopped Bona, Sid and Kek-Tjiang from getting the vital third goal for Grilled. Sid's free-kick was the pick of the lot, and half the ground thought that it must have gone in, when it was actually deflected into the side-netting by Chew.
The last chance of the match belonged to the home side, as Rodostoglou's free-kick into the packed Grilled box posed some problems for the defence. After a couple of players swung and missed the wildly bouncing ball, Spirig was content to boot it all the way down the length of the pitch to Chew.
