UFL: Global FC blanks Team Socceroo in nine-goal rout

Global FC showed how scary their offense can be, exploding for nine while their defense held Team Socceroo without a score, Tuesday at the Emperador Stadium, in UFL action.

The rout gave Global 15 points after six games, good for second place, while Socceroo stayed at five after eight outings.

Global was perhaps a little wary of Team Socceroo after what they were able to achieve versus the Loyola Meralco Sparks, holding them to a 3-3 draw last Saturday. Global had lost to the Sparks in their first game of the season, and so far that has been the only bad mark in their record.

But just five minutes into the game, Milad Behgandom headed in a goal off a cross from Ben Starosta. It looked like the heroics of Guillerme Hasegawa, who had his best game of the season last Saturday, would not extend to this game.

And then at the 17th minute, Mark Hartmann struck from just inside the box, lofting the ball over everyone for Global's second goal. About five minutes after that, it was Hartmann again, this time, heading in a Starosta cross while everyone else seemed confused on the Socceroo side.

Just a minute later, the hat trick was completed, as Hartmann seemed unstoppable, kicking the ball from halfway down Socceroo's side of the pitch into the wide open goal. No one even had an iota of a chance to deny him.

Four minutes later, Milad got his brace, beating Hasegawa and about three Socceroo players who were already inside the box to get Global’s fifth goal.

Everyone on Global looked like they tried their luck at a goal, even defender Valentine Kama — who earlier this season scored the game winner versus Kaya FC — went down field and had a clear shot, but his attempt went straight to Hasegawa.

At halftime, the score was 5-0 and it looked like there was no chance that this would end up in a draw.

Izo Elhabib, who had run drills with the team before the game, also warmed up with the team at the half. This was the first time that Elhabib was even in uniform because he has been sidelined with an injury since the start of the League.

As the second half began, Socceroo keeper Hasegawa and defender Luis Montelibano were replaced by Rolando Cabaniero and Jude Duruachazie. However, that alteration to the Socceroo lineup did not work fast enough, as Ben Starosta opened the half with Global’s sixth goal.

After they had settled down though, Socceroo started playing better football. They had more attempts early in the second half, but defense, and some luck, held for Global.

Global then seemed to run into a dry spell, and there were several missed attempts, including a header for Milad and another that sent Hartmann running up the bleachers behind the goal because of momentum. That particular attempt rolled across the face of an open goal but unfortunately — or fortunately for Socceroo — it did not meet a Global boot.

But at the 62nd minute, Hartmann found his range again, sending the ball into the right side of the goal from just inside the box. Again, no one was in the position to stop him.

At the 68th minute, Elhabib came on for Milad and almost immediately got a goal. He got his own rebound and kicked it up and in right in front of Cabaniero.

A spate of substitutions followed, with Socceroo sending in Glen Malu for Seuing Yeon Min. Global subbed in John Kanayama for Starosta and then Paps Macayan for Marwin Angeles. Kanayama is part of Global’s youth squad while Macayan is a recruit from Tacloban.

Just minutes before the end of regulation, a second yellow was shown to Socceroo's Martin Larsen, reducing his side to just 10 men. To make matters worse for Socceroo, Elhabib got another goal, working well with Misagh Bahadoran up front, and making it 9-0 for Global FC.

“We’re just learning how other teams play so we can develop our system,” said Team Socceroo Coach Frank Cacacho after the game, remarking also that it was difficult to play two big teams back-to-back. This is just Team Socceroo’s first League competition, having been promoted to the First Division.

Global’s Coach Leigh Manson was happy with the win, saying that the first 45 minutes were perhaps Starosta and Hartmann’s best so far. “Some of our players, that was not their best game, I have to work with those players,” said Manson, far from being content with their performance. “We’ll have to work on not having the other team have good runs, like Socceroo did for about ten minutes [in the second half].”

Manson also said, slightly tongue-in-cheek, that perhaps a couple of his players had tried to go out of their way to impress new Azkals coach Thomas Dooley, who looks poised to establish himself as a regular fixture during UFL matches.

"We're working very hard to be a team,” Manson added, “I think we’re going to get stronger.”

This was the first time for Global to get a clean sheet this League. And although Elhabib and youth player Amani Aguinaldo finally saw some minutes in this game, Manson also said that they are still looking forward to having Carlie de Murga, Jason de Jong, Jerry Barbaso, and Nino Ochoterena fit and ready to play.

“I hope we're giving the fans some entertaining football,” Manson finished. - AMD, GMA News