UFL Cup: Global defeat Loyola without Azkals stars

Despite missing eight of the Azkals on their roster, who are in Cebu for the friendly against Singapore, Global still managed to win their UFL Cup semifinal match against Loyola, 2-1, Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Loyola lost, despite having flown back their national team players, Anto Gonzales and the Younghusband brothers, for the game. Goals from Alex Obiang and Izzo El Habib seven minutes into and seven minutes from the end of the game gave Global a 2-0 lead, but James Younghusband, himself number seven for the Sparks, scored a consolation in the final minutes. Patrick Yao was sent off at the death and will be suspended for the Final, but Global will be pleased to have made it through, despite missing eight key players. Obiang raced onto a good pass from Yu Hoshide out wide. Lacking pressure, he went for the goal, opening the scoring in the seventh minute with a curled shot to the bottom corner. Loyola had their chances throughout the game but Global punished them in the 83rd minute when a long goal kick by Roland Sadia, in goal for Global, found its way to Izzo El Habib up front, and the Global striker bundled his way through the defense before calmly slotting past the keeper. James Younghusband finally got Loyola on the scoresheet but it proved too little, too late, as the quickly worked free-kick have found him free on the right to bury the ball through Sadia’s legs. However, the full-time whistle blew shortly after, to put Global through. First half Global had the best of the opening exchanges, with manager Dan Palami prioritizing the national team over his domestic club. Only Matthew Uy and Marvin Angeles made the trip back to face Loyola in the semifinal and they made the first chances as Izzo El Habib was quickly in on goal, though from a tight angle, his shot was cleared off the line. It only took two more minutes for Global to open the scoring though, as Yu Hoshide provided the assist for Alex Obiang, swinging the ball to the left for Obiang to latch onto and curl into the bottom corner of the net. The early goal stunned Loyola and Obiang could have quickly doubled Global’s and his own tally when Izzo backheeled for Marvin Angeles who played a through ball for Obiang, who shot wide with his first touch. With Global on top they also got the yellow cards rolling, in a match which saw a lot more yellow than just Global’s kit. Fidelis Nnabuife purposely handled the ball when challenging for possession before Patrick Yao received a yellow card for stepping on his marker, when bursting away from with the ball. Yet for Loyola, it took them until the 38th minute to fashion a decent opportunity as Anto Gonzales won the ball, passed it to Mark Hartmann, who then found Phil Younghusband in space on the wing. The returning Azkals striker found his brother in the center with a good cross, but James Younghusband took a poor touch and couldn’t get a good effort on goal. Just before the half-time whistle the brothers combined again with Phil finding James with another good ball, and the elder brother headed across to Jeong Byeong Yeol, whose shot was importantly blocked by Ange Guisso. Second half Global started the second half like the first and their dominance created a clear opportunity in the first minute. Nnabuife found space on the left wing from the kick-off and crossed in for Izzo El Habib, but the usually clinical striker could only head into Ref Cuaresma’s hands. Both teams then fashioned some decent chances with Jang Jo Won shooting over from around the area before Mark Hartmann hit a free-kick over the bar from 20 yards out. Alexandro Elnar replaced Peter Fadrigalan before the miss for Loyola, who sparked back into life, catching Global out on the counter. Winning a free-kick deep in Global’s half, Hartmann took it quickly in the 53rd minute before the Global defense could reshape, playing in James Younghusband who was free on goal. With Younghusband bearing down on him, Sadia rushed out of goal and just got enough of a hand on it to divert his shot into the side netting. Three minutes later Loyola repeated the same trick, Phil Younghusband this time taking a free-kick quickly but once more his brother failed to punish Global, this time firing over the bar. Loyola were getting forward on the counter, though, and with speed, they broke in the 62nd minute with four attackers on two defenders, the ball being crossed well towards Mark Hartmann at the back post. The trequartista deftly knocking the ball across the goal to Phil Younghusband, but he scuffed his shot, and another great opportunity to equalize. In the 70th minute Chad Gould was stretchered off after clashing heads with Izzo El Habib. Simon Greatwich came on to replace him but Global took advantage next, a long goal kick from Sadia finding El Habib up front. Eventually getting the ball under his control, the striker rounded Ref Cuaresma and coolly slotted in his seventh goal of the UFL Cup in the 83rd minute. After Phil Younghusband lifted another free-kick over, Loyola got back into the game as James Younghusband got on the end of a flick-on header to take a touch and nutmeg Sadia. It proved no more than a consolation goal however, as the 86th minute goal was only followed by several cards for time wasting. First Yu Hoshide was taken down late and ordered off the field, getting booked for apparently wasting time and for dissent while doing so despite the referee missing the foul. Kevin Capolei, solid on the right wing all day, was also booked for time wasting. Patrick Yao then decided to get himself sent off with a very rash challenge on Simon Greatwich. Flying in on the Loyola midfielder, nowhere near the ball, he gave the referee no chance but to issue a second yellow card and send him off. Yao then made a second bad choice, by incensing and taunting the Loyola fans while walking off the pitch. The move wasted a bit more precious time, though, and the referee soon blew the full-time whistle for the first Global victory over Loyola in over a year.  - AMD, GMA News