Herron Roll On
Nie Down
Grilled's three-nil away defeat to champions-elect Herron didn't raise many eyebrows, especially after the Birds sold Jaan Kadak midweek in a shock transfer. They posed little threat with a tired Martinsson alone up front, and Borup less than comfortable at left-back.
The Birds did cause the spoilt Herron fans some concern as they doggedly kept the hosts out in the early part of the match, thanks largely to
Anders Fredgård's assured reading of the game. His vision finally failed him in the 20th minute as he was forced to pull Jähnisch down after finding himself on the wrong side of the forward, and Chit-Fu scored soon after as Fredgård dared not commit to a tackle.
Herron put themselves in a very comfortable position, as the unsteady Borup pulled at Zandberg's jersey rather too obviously, with the Israeli cannily waiting till he was well in the box before falling over. The penalty was given, and Haupai clipped it in despite Abed-Sulaiman going the correct way.
Chit-Fu was an omnipresent threat, and forced a superb save off a header from the Grilled keeper. The hosts didn't let up despite being two up, the mark of true champions, and Zandberg hurtled into a bad-looking tackle on Han Kok that earned him a caution.
The second half was far less interesting as Herron slowly became more interested in keeping the ball, with the Birds content to let them have it. Ulfsson put the result beyond doubt in the 77th minute, but their coach might rue not taking midfield general Nie Yong-chul off early, after Nie pulled a muscle late in the match.
