MANILA, Philippines – Global FC and Stallion Penson FC pulled off pulsating victories over Loyola Meralco Sparks and Green Archers United-Globe, respectively, to forge an interesting title showdown in the United Football League Cup at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium Tuesday night.
Playing minus eight of its stalwarts who were with the Phl Azkals in Cebu early to play Singapore in a friendly scheduled tomorrow, Global still found some firepower in Alex Obiang and Sudanese striker Izzo El Habbib to turn back fierce rival Loyola, 2-1, to enter finals.
Stallion, for its part, bucked a goal deficit by coming through with three goals in the stretch, one in regulation and two in the first extension, to eke out a nerve-wracking 3-1 victory over Green Archers for a shot at the championship.
The pair of wins thus sent Global and Stallion straight into the finals on Nov. 19 at the Rizal pitch hoping to take home the Cup.
Obiang scored early, firing a goal on the sixth minute before El Habbib – who now has seven goals in the Cup, one behind Pasargad's Masood Shadideh and two away from Loyola's Phil Younghusband – made it a 2-0 advantage after he fired past Sparks goalie Ref Cuaresma on the 83rd.
Phil's brother, James Younghusband, struck back with an 86th minute rocket but it turned out to be Loyola's last hurrah as Global hang on to the win.
And Global did it in the absence of Juani Guirado, Misagh Bahadoran, Carli de Murga, Demetrius Omphroy, Patrick Reichelt, Jeffrey Christaens, Marwin Angeles and Paolo Pascual, who were fulfilling their national team duties with the Azkals in Cebu.
Meanwhile, Reuben Doctora, Jr. came through with a brace, one coming on the 77th minute that knotted the count at 1-1 and another on the ninth minute of first extension that sealed the deal.
Christian Floriano Pasilan, Jr. unleashed a 55th minute rocket that gave the Hans Smith-mentored Rockets a 1-0 lead and closer to getting a crack at nailing their first ever Cup crown had they played their cards right.
But the Archers couldn't as Doctora unloaded the equalizer on the 71st and Korean Lee Wong Hyung gave the Stallion booters the lead by coming through in the first extension.
Then came Doctora, who delivered the clincher.