Due to a 0-6 trashing at the hands of Australian club Brisbane Roar last January 31, 2017, in the AFC Champions League preliminary stage, Global Football Club have been relegated to the 2017 AFC Cup.
While the Champions League exit was painful, there was a silver lining to everything.
“It was a perfect experience for Global FC because we saw the level there is so high, and then we had two matches before this game so it was a good preparation for Global because we came from a break,” admitted Global captain Misagh Bahadoran.
“We learned so many things from the game because we lost the game but now we can bring these mistakes and fix these mistakes, which [Toshiaki Imai] is already fixing.”
Now that Global are back in the AFC Cup, the Dan Palami-owned side shall commence their campaign in the group stage as part of Group F alongside Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim, Magwe of Myanmar, and Cambodia’s Boeung Ket Angkor.
Only the winner of Group F shall advance to the next round proper, while the runner-up’s participation shall depend on the results of the other groups.
First for Global shall be Magwe, who won the 2016 General Aung San Shield to earn a ticket to the AFC Cup. It’s not the first time, though, for Global to face Burmese opposition; they had faced Yadanarbon in the 2015 edition of the said tourney.
Bahadoran shared, “Two years ago, the first half was difficult but the second half we start to score so these are all based on experience of the positioning of their team.”
“I think now they are with the experience with those who are playing in the national team and also combine with the young players that they want to show the managers and the coaches something so I think it’s gonna be a difficult game tomorrow. So much running, physically fighting… let’s see.”
A win for Global against Magwe is imperative since the other two sides, particularly Johor Darul Ta’zim, could prove to be trickier opposition. For Bahadoran, it is all about proving themselves on the pitch.
“They say the ball is round so let’s see what’s gonna happen tomorrow. We promise you guys we will give them a good fight and fair game,” the Filipino-Iranian forward declared.
