In a week when two Filipino clubs were eliminated from the AFC cup, Philippine football was in dire need of a victory in the international stage. Fortunately the 2016 Singapore Cup preliminary round was staged this weekend and it allowed the Philippines a chance to restore pride in its football.
True enough, Global Football Club defeated Cambodian team Nagaworld FC 5-0 in the Jalan Basar Stadium in Singapore. Hikaru Minegishi produced a brace (9′ & 10′) while Ojay Clarino (30′), Omid Nazari (77′), and Daisuke Sato (84′) scored a goal each.
The Filipino side controlled the game and kept possession of the ball for majority of the minutes. Minegishi gave Global a dream start with his two goals in as many minutes. Both goals illustrated Miniegishi’s poacher’s instinct as he turned the ball home unmarked at the far post for the first goal and rebounded a shot which originally hit the post for the second.
At the other end, Global goalkeeper Patrick Deyto was a busy man as he parried away all of Nagaworld’s four attempts in the first half. Clarino then virtually killed the contest off fifteen minutes before the break when he scored Global’s third goal. Global enjoyed a 3-0 lead at the break with their killer instinct in front of goal and Deyto’s good performance key to their dominance over Nagaworld.
A similar tale unfolded in the second half. Deyto provided the backbone to Global’s efficiency with his saves. One player, though, who had a rough night was Misagh Bahadoran. Bahadoran was denied thrice in the period by Nagaworld goalie York Ary, one of those chances was a penalty the former himself won near the end of the game.
Those Bahadoran misses, though, didn’t ruin Global’s evening as they were still able to score twice more in the second frame. Nazari added the fourth goal and then Sato’s long-range strike capped off Global’s performance in a stunning way. It finished Global 5-0 Nagaworld and there could only be few complaints with the result.
“Five goals and a clean sheet, obviously that’s something and it’s the first time we’ve played against a club from Cambodia,” Global head coach Leigh Manson said. “They’re near the top of the table. Again it’s a good benchmark for us to see where we are in Asia.”
Next up for Global is Singaporean club Tampines Rovers who are currently sit at second place in the current S.League season. The Jalan Basar Stadium will likely host the fixture with the match date and kickoff time yet to be announced.
