UFL Cup: Global, Loyola, GAU and Stallions march on to quarterfinals

The round of eight in the quarterfinals of the UFL Cup has come to an end, seeing Loyola smash Army, and Global defeat Kaya in a first versus second clash in extra-time, while GAU and Stallions needed penalties to reach the semis. Pick of the round The pick of the round saw Global, league champions this year, take on Kaya. Global, looking to regain the UFL Cup after winning it in 2010 but losing out in the semifinals last year, took until extra-time to see off Kaya, who were runners up in the 2012 league. A mazy run from Misagh Bahadoran saw him dribble past several defenders and strike low past Saba Sadeghi to secure Global’s spot in the Semis this year. Last year Global lost to the Air Force 2-0 in the semifinals, with the Airmen eventually defeating Loyola by the same score in the Final. However they’ve crashed since, and bowed out of this year’s competition behind Stallions and surprisingly behind their armed forces rival in the Army.  Global are the favorites this year, having already taken out their number one rival, but they will have to do it the hard way and take out the other strongest teams in the knockout phases.

Free-scoring Loyola The only convincing win of the quarterfinals saw Loyola take advantage of an aging Army squad. Mark Hartmann grabbed a hat-trick in a good month for him, after he was also named to the Philippine preliminary squad for the Suzuki Cup. With a chance to make it to the final 22 of the Philippine squad, the playmaker, who grew up in the Portsmouth Youth Academy, part of a side still in the Premier League at the time, has given his chances a boost as the standout player of the round. Jeong Byeong-Yeol and Phil Younghusband grabbed a goal each to complete the rout, the latter coming back to fitness and form as he seeks to get back into the Azkals’ line-up and recapture the form that saw him win the golden boot for the Challenge Cup with six goals. Like last year, the Sparks are the top scorers after the first round and rarely fail to get off the mark. But their defensive frailties have been exposed in the Singapore Cup after a 5-0 aggregate loss to Tampines Rovers in the semifinals, followed by a 4-0 loss to Gombak United in the third place playoff. Against tougher opposition the question will be if Loyola can score more than they concede. The Stallions and Green Archers both needed penalties to reach the semis, only just managing to put away new upstarts in General Trias International and Pachanga-Diliman., respectively. General Trias held the Stallions to a goalless draw, as they did against Global in the group stage, proving that they could well be a force in the First Division of the UFL, nevermind the second. Stallions held firm in the penalty shootout, with only Rufo Sanchez missing the spot kick, to help them reach the last four of the Cup, after a solid fourth place finish in the league. Meanwhile the Archers took a quick lead against Pachanga, but Ariel Zerrudo canceled out Jesus Joaquin Melliza’s opener, forcing extra-time and eventually penalties. But after Gonzalez and Guam captain Jason Cunliffe missed the first two, for Pachanga it was always going to be an uphill struggle, and Ayi Nii Aryee, who signed for the Archers from Global, dispatched the last penalty to send the newly financed Archers into the last four. Looking to the semis This year Global will face Loyola in the semifinals, as the reigning UFL champions seek to double up and win the League and Cup in 2012, matching Air Force’s feat in 2011. The other semifinals will see the Stallions and Green Archers go head-to-head for the other spot in the Final. Both games will be played on Tuesday, November 13 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The losers will play for third but with all the games at Rizal, the pitch won’t be an excuse now. Expect more attractive football as the final four face-off to reach the Final of the 2012 UFL Cup.  - AMD, GMA News