Perspolise tops Neymar Jr’s Five national finals
THE Philippines will be bannered by Perspolise at the Neymar Jr’s Five World Finals after the team topped the national finals on April 21 held at Turf BGC in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Perspolise, composed of Louis Serge Kaole, Otuyemi Emmanuel, Junior Stephen Ngong Sam, John Paul Canieso, Okoh Anthony Alechanu and Team Captain Hamed Hajimehdi, beat Tondo FC, 4- 0, to book a place in the world finals where it will compete against winners from other legs of the tournament in various parts of the world.
Perspolise made its mark in Qualifier A when it was able to score the highly coveted firstplace win and eventually used it as a springboard to generate momentum and win the ticket for Praria Grande, Brazil, later this year where the world finals will be played.
“It was good, we brought out our best players and we are excited to go to Brazil!” said Mr. Hajimehdi, a member of the Iranian International Football team, after their victory.
“Football is my life, I have been playing since I was 13 years old. It allowed me to play in many countries and all clubs. It’s also my job, football is my life!” he added.
“It was a tough game, but everything worked out for us in the finals,” Perspolise head coach Mikee Carrion, for his part, said. Adding, “It’s a great honor for us to represent the country… Everybody has to watch out because we’re representing the Philippines!”
While it competed well throughout the tournament, Tondo FC still found the going tough in the national finals, marking the second straight time it fell short of representing the country in the world finals.
Last year the team reached the finals as a late-replacement but lost to Naxional in the championship game.
“We played better than last year,” said Tondo FC’s Dennis Balbin. “We really had to prepare for this year. We worked on team defense and organization, learning that Neymar Jr’s Five is really a team effort.”
For sports director Anton Del Rosario, Tondo FC would have provided a great story had it went all the way but gave credit to Perspolise for proving it is deserving of the title and to represent the country.
“I think we were all rooting for Tondo FC, they would have made a great story!” said Mr. Del Rosario.
“But I’m happy for Perspolise, I’ve got friends there. On the world finals, Perspolise won’t play like they’re on vacation. They’re going to play to win!” he added.
A signature football tournament by Brazilian forward Neymar, Neymar Jr’s Five has five-a-side teams going head-tohead in 10-minute matches with a twist — There is no goalkeeper and the moment a team scores, the opposition loses a player.
For its second year in the Philippines, Neymar Jr’s Five drew many teams in a series of qualifying rounds in Manila and Cebu. In the end, 16 teams advanced to the National Finals, namely, French Kiss FC, International Manila, Tenth Power, Naij FC, The Tenth Power B, Realcelona, Tala Cu Chi, Perspolise, Koora, Selecao, ABCDE FC, Ballers FC, National FC, Brazilipinas, Tondo FC and Leylam FC A. —