Inspired Global FC hopes to sustain momentum
WITH the first test for a possible groundbreaking appearance in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League out of the way, local club Global FC has become all the more inspired to take it further and sustain the momentum it has built going into its next match.
Beating Singapore’s Tampines Rovers, 2-0, in their first-round AFC Champions League preliminary match on Tuesday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Global earned a ticket to play in the second round of the preliminaries against the Brisbane Roar next week in Australia.
The win was a milestone for Philippine club football with Global being the first team from the country to play in an AFC Champions League game.
“I’m so proud to be part of this team. This is big for Philippine football club history. It’s an amazing feeling and we hope to continue with this kind of performance when we go to Australia for our next game,” said Global captain and man of the match Misagh Bahadoran in the postmatch press conference.
Against Tampines, “The People’s Club,” now coached by Japanese Toshiaki Imai, relied on a jacked-up performance in the second half that was anchored on short passes and counter-attacks.
New signing Ahmad Azzawi broke a goalless tie at the 61st minute, finding the net off a fine pass from Mr. Bahadoran.
Twelve minutes later, it was Mr. Bahadoran on the firing end, slotting in a direct shot from outside the box to double their lead.
Tampines tried to rally back but the Global defense would not allow it to make any significant headway, leaving the visiting side bowing out.
“We lost twice to Tampines in Singapore but I felt here at home we had a good chance with all the support we have been getting. Under coach Imai we used a different strategy and I was kind of surprised at first. But it worked and I’m happy with the result,” Mr. Bahadoran said.
He went on to say that playing in the AFC Champions League was not easy as it entailed a lot of “firsts” that management and the team had to deal with.
“We are the first team to compete here but we are also the first to encounter the problems of preparing for it. Also the team had to face problems with players and coaches in the lead-up to the tournament. But we are Global and when we step on the field we try to play as best as we can in spite of everything,” the Global skipper said.
For coach Imai, who joined the team less than a week before their first AFC Champions League match, the win over Tampines was a good start for them under his watch.
“I only came here four days ago but I think the team responded well to the game plan and I’m happy with that. We will continue our training and hopefully win in Australia,” he said.
Ended 2016 as the top team in the United Football League by winning the League and Cup titles, Global earned the nod from the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to represent the country and play in the preliminary/ playoff stage of the AFC Champions League.
Global plays the Brisbane Roar in an away game on Jan. 31. If it manages to win in said match it plays Shanghai Shenhua FC, which finished fourth in the Chinese Superleague, in February where a victory would give it formal entry into the main AFC Champions League competition which runs till November. —