Entenhausener Entertained
Creativity All Around
Grilled's Worldwide Allgäu-Guests III defence got off on the right foot, with a respectable 3-1 start against German Fifth Division challengers SV Entenhausener. They had just recovered from a thin stretch with consecutive 2-0 wins in their league, but their strategy to stay compact and shoot from distance found little purchase against a flowing Birds team.
Dutch veteran playmaker Sjeng Borgh, who had played a central role in their turnaround, was again their main go-getter early on, but he happened to be up against a
Hariharan Prabhu with a point to prove. This prevented him from getting what would have been a decisive through pass to Valerio Aldini more than once, to their travelling support's disappointment.
The opener would be vintage
Tian Yonghang, who tricked his way past Englishman Phil Mac Liam with astonishing chutzpah, playing the ball off his standing foot. His comrades were enjoying their football too, and
Lee Lee Hao pulled off what looked like a half-twist backflip, in sending a jaw-dropper against the post, with Olivier Major rooted. Lee appeared to have hurt himself in the fall, but thankfully was alright after a short breather.
SV Entenhausener just about survived that barrage, and they would do well to cancel Grilled's lead with an admirably opportunistic piece of improvisation. Having just escaped going two down after
Clark Won's lob came back off the bar, Andreas Kameter got a corner out of it, after cleverly taking it to the opposite touchline. Borgh bent it to the far post area, where Spanish fullback Angelo Luezas beat
Wong Tian Han with an inch-perfect header.
They wouldn't have time to celebrate it, as Won promptly made up for his earlier miss, by cracking an outstanding volley past Major from twenty yards, despite
Wong Ping Shun's cross dropping awkwardly for him.
Clément Meyer then should have gotten an assist as he broke clear with multiple tempting options in the 41st minute, but he somehow directed it to the heavily-guarded Mohd Safri, who couldn't do much about it.
SV Entenhausener improved as the match went on, defensively at least. Their long distance strikes on the other hand barely bothered
Wong Tian Han, with the exception of a Borgh special that had Wong backtracking urgently soon after the restart.
If there is a reputation on the rise in this Grilled side, it would be
Low Aik Jia's, as the 28 year-old winger chipped in with yet another productive performance on the left. Low showed no signs of slowing when he stamped on the pedals to blow past Menashe Israel on the inside, and only an amazing dive at his feet by Major prevented a certain goal.
Wong Tian Han was not to be upstaged, and he stopped what was by some distance SV Entenhausener's top effort of the night barely a minute later. Georgian winger Kapriel Vardkesyan was quick to make use of the space that Low had left behind in his raid, and a few fine passes later, Valerio Aldini was left with only Wong to beat. His shot to the near post after Wong had begun going the other way seemed immaculate, but Wong somehow stuck out a toe, and redirected the ball to safety.
Borgh would be substituted later on, as is his custom, and an eager-looking Christophe Barnabé entered impatient to make a difference. However, SV Entenhausener would overextend themselves shortly afterwards chasing the equalizer, and
Lee Lee Hao would make it 3-1 to lock the points down.
