UFL: Loyola dominate tired Nomads to jump to the top of the league

The Loyola Meralco Sparks showed off their fine form with a dominant 5-0 win over Nomads FC, Tuesday at the Emperador Stadium, to leap to the top of the standings of the UFL. After a back-and-forth start to the game, Loyola took the lead in the 38th minute as Mark Hartmann curled in a free-kick. Minutes later, Chad Gould acrobatically hooked in the second goal in following good work by James Younghusband on the right, while Hartmann added his second and Loyola’s third midway through the second half with an audacious effort from the left wing.   Simon Greatwich played a one-two with substitute Jang Joo Wong to fire in the fourth in the 70th minute, before Phil Younghusband got himself on the scoresheet in the 90th minute, latching onto a Simon Greatwich through ball and smashing beyond Klok. With the win, Loyola leapfrogged Global and Stallions to the top of the league with sixteen points, though having played a game more than their rivals, who are one point behind on fifteen. First half   Loyola started quickly and in the seventh minute Phil Younghusband headed wide from ten yards out and repeated the act from even closer in the 13th, as James Younghusband picked up a throw-in, clipped the ball past one defender and crossed in to his brother, though the younger Younghusband couldn’t find the back of the net. Soon after, Nomads had their first chance as they countered off a great through ball by Nicholas Hacker to put a teammate in on goal, but they unfortunately hit just wide and over of the goal from a difficult angle. It was a good back-and-forth battle as Loyola built up their attacks and Nomads continued to threaten on the counter. Feisty play from Jason Arroyo in the middle of the pitch meant the Nomads midfielder won possession and he shot from distance, firing the ball to the top corner. Only a brilliant fingertip save from Ref Cuaresma kept the game goalless as Nomads continued to punch above their weight and show their fourth place standing at the moment wasn’t a fluke. Nomads then created another chance as Steve Borill played in Fidelis Nnabuife with a deftly played pass. Nnabuife skipped past Cuaresma, who had rushed out, but the ball bounced back off his heel and Loyola managed to clear around the half-hour mark. Luigio Infante was then elbowed by Mark Hartmann and blood trickled down his face from the collision. It seemed accidental on the replay and he went to receive treatment as the game continued. Loyola threatened next from a free-kick, a well-delivered cross met by Nomads keeper Friso Klok, who got enough of a fingertip to prevent Mark Hartmann getting a truer header to the ball and scoring in the empty net. Another free-kick was awarded to Loyola and the injured Infante came back on to the pitch and into the wall, but Mark Hartmann hit this one better and it curled into the top corner of the net, creeping through the jumping wall in the 38th minute. Minutes later, in the 41st, James Younghusband chipped in a cross from the right and Chad Gould adjusted to hook the ball into the top corner of the net for a quick-fire Loyola double to take a comfortable lead into the break. Second half Nomads made a substitution in the second half, bringing on Ibrahim El Habbib for Nicholas Hacker as they began to tire. Still recovering from a spell of three games in six days, where they picked up seven points, they had put up a good fight up to this moment. Another chipped through ball from Mark Hartmann cleverly found Simon Greatwich on the right wing and he cut inside, but the angle was too tight and Klok covered the goal well to prevent a third score with his legs in the 55th minute. Nomads made another change soon after as Camille Cremet came on for Fidelis Nnabuife in the 63rd minute, with Loyola beginning to dominate possession as Mark Hartmann rapped in a third goal from an acute angle. Picking up a pass on the left wing, he lifted the ball over Klok and scored his second goal of the game to take his season tally to five with a fantastic strike that showed his technical quality in the 66th minute. Joo Wong Jang replaced Jeong Byeong Yeol as Loyola became more comfortable in the game and looked to see out the result. The passing was becoming more and more crisp, with Simon Greatwich benefiting from good vision from the substitute Jang who spotted his run, chipping a through ball to him as Greatwich obliged by firing the ball past Klok for Loyola’s fourth. Nomads were fading fast while Loyola made a double substitution, bringing in Peter Fadrigalan and Davide Cortina to the game. Nomads almost scored in the 75th minute as Steve Borrill curled in a free-kick, but Ref Cuaresma again kept the Nomads out and hung onto his clean sheet with another strong save.   Alexandro Elnar then came in for Matthew Hartmann as the Sparks continued to show their depth against the Nomads squad. Finding a teammate free on the left, Loyola forced a good save out of Klok. The ball fell to the substitute Elnar, but he couldn’t react quick enough to tap in on his first touch and Nomads remained resolute to block the chance. Nomads made a substitution of their own but ran out of time for a consolation goal, tired from their previous games and up against a clinical Loyola side, who put the icing on the cake as Simon Greatwich fed Phil Younghusband who fired in his fourth goal of the season to wrap up the 5-0 win. What’s next for the teams The win temporarily puts Loyola on top of the league, with 16 points from six games. Global and Stallions both have 100 percent win records though, and a game in hand over Loyola. In fact, the Sparks will face their biggest test of the season so far against the Stallions next week, March 9, in the first clash between the top three of the league. Nomads, meanwhile, will need to regroup and rest after an exhausting period. Having already played the top three clubs, Global, Stallions, and Loyola, in their seven games, a number higher than anyone else in the league, the team can be happy with their point tally. They’ll be able to get a much-needed rest before their next game against relegation candidates Army on March 31, after the Challenge Cup Qualifiers. - AMD, GMA News