United Football League’s (UFL) powerhouse squads Global FC and Loyola Meralco Sparks played out a 0-0 draw Saturday evening at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The reigning UFL Cup champions got the better of the opening exchange, forcing their counterparts to defend early on. Five minutes in, Nazari’s cleared cross resulted in a corner that Ivan Petrovic eventually got to fire a cleared effort. The defensive effort continued ten minutes later when Joaco Cañas diverted Serge Kaole’s cross away from peril.
As Global kept on piling the pressure, Loyola showed defiance in order to keep the score level. Headed by Cañas, the Sparks made sure that if Global will get their chances, they needed to muster a magical touch to get the ball into the net. Such as the case in the 24th minute when Misagh Bahadoran’s header came to naught due to a solid piercing defending by Cañas.
Finding their bearings half an hour into the encounter, Loyola finally got to threaten their opponents. The reinvigorated James Younghusband, one of the players who played in the Azkals’ 2-1 victory at Kyrgyzstan, came close to taking the lead for Loyola after striking the crossbar with a header to his brother Phil’s cross. A few moments later, the in-form midfielder brushed the side of the woodwork again, much to the relief of Global.
Towards the end of the half, Hikaru Minegishi and Bahadoran pressed for their team but just can’t find ways to dismantle the Sparks’ defense. Not long after, the halftime whistle sounded.
Just like in the first half, Global hit the ground running to start the second period. Petrovic has a decent chance to convert for Global but it would be for nothing as an infraction was called in a scramble in the box. The game then turned into a real tussle, with both sides virtually cancelling each other out. After multiple shots getting wasted by either side, Nazari blasted a gracious chance to put Global in front 13 minutes before time. It was the closest any of them got in terms of breaking the deadlock as the game ended goalless.
Before the clash between Loyola and Global, dark horses JP Voltes pocketed a 3-0 win over Forza to kick off Saturday’s proceedings to solidify their chances of contending for the title.
