League match report 10 May 2009: Grasshopper vs Maluri
Grasshopper 10 man line up:
Chris (GK)
Defence: Big Steve, Rao, Alex, Kevin ( dodgy knee)
Midfield: Kurt ( left wing), Danny, Lim, Angelo
Attack: Tobias
Looking at this hastily assembled crew of crocks and has-beens lining up for the Grasshopper team, even the most optimistic Grasshopper supporter could not have been accused if they were praying that Maluri would get the job done quickly and painlessly, or perhaps the heavens would open up and the water sogged field might level the playing field. Missing the might of Juan, Greg, Mike, Sandro, Joerg, Gary through injury and suspension, this 10 man depleted team of misfits decided that instead of granting Maluri a walkover ( and therefore only conceding a 0-2 defeat), we might as well make a good fight of it. In true Grasshopper spirit, we made more than a fight of it as you will see. Employing Kurt on the left wing was a master stroke, as he harassed and battled, Drogba style, for every high ball sent into his direction, and flattening a couple of Maluri defenders into pancakes in the process. With Tobias as the willing galloping horse upfront, every hopeless long ball was chased down by him, and it was no exaggeration to say that everytime a ball was punted up field, there was panic and fright among the Maluri ranks at the sight of a lunatic , bald Caucasian man flying towards them at speed. This left them no choice but to take him out any way possible, and the way Tobias was hacked to ground time after time, even Isaac Newton could have well have reached his ground breaking conclusion a lot earlier if Tobias had been around a couple of centuries back. But it would be a disservice to Maluri not to mention that they probably enjoyed a 80% ball possession advantage and if Chris "Almunia" Harding was not at the top of his game, the scoreline might have been reaching double figure proportions. As it was, halftime arrived with Maluri comfortably leading 1-0. In the second half, Lim and Danny, the tireless central midfield duo who had been practically playing as auxiliary defenders in the first half, decided to throw caution into the wind and flung themselves forward in support of the lone Tobias. Even Angelo, who had been playing a very responsible defensive right half role earlier, started to support the forward thrust, and it was him, no less, the forgotten man of Grasshopper football, who provided the equaliser in the 60th minute with a well taken volley into the top corner from 10 yards out. The clinical , calm finish was certainly not an Angelo trademark but nobody would hold it against him . 1-1! The last 15 minutes was squeaky bum time as Maluri launched forward in droves. The defence, manned by the overworked Rao, literally parked the bus in the penalty area, and Maluri were limited to long range shooting which rarely troubled "Almunia". There was even time at the end for Lim to make a counter break into the Maluri penalty area only to be crudely hacked down. Ref said no pen! Chelsea-like harrassment of the Indian referee as the Grasshoppers crowded around him did not help change the referee's decision. It was too big a decision to ask of the ref in the last minute of the game, and perhap only a dismembered leg might have convinced him to award a penalty. In the end, a most unlikely 1-1 result was as accurate a reflection of the game as the time on a broken clock, but as the saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice in a day.....
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