Global Cebu FC confident going into semis match vs FC Meralco Manila Sparks

READY FOR SPARKS

Global Cebu FC feels confident of its Philippines Football League (PFL) semifinal match against league-leader FC Meralco Manila Sparks tentatively scheduled this Saturday at a yet-to-be announced venue.

Global Cebu FC capped off its elimination round with a 2-0 win over rival Ceres Negros FC last Tuesday evening to go into the semis on a winning note.

“We have played them four times,” said Global Cebu FC head coach Akhbar Nawas, referring to their head-to-head matchup with FC Meralco Manila Sparks in the eliminations. “We lost one match against them. We are really looking forward to play against them. Our main goal is to play for the finals.”

Nawas said the game against Ceres Negros, although non-bearing, helped them get ready for the semis round.

“It’s good we were able to field in players who were not able to play in the Singapore Cup and we were able to rest key players for the semifinals. It was a good tune-up. We are happy to see John Roy Melgo finally play in front of Cebuanos. It was nice to see him in action. The result was not the foremost thing on my mind,” he said. “The most important thing is that we came here and we ended the match without any injuries or suspension.”

Melgo, a Cebuano, saw action for the first time in the league and played the entire second half. Melgo is known for playing with the ERCO Bro FC and the University of San Carlos (USC).

For his part, Rufo Sanchez, Global Cebu’s ace Spanish striker, said that he will do his best as the team’s striker to become the inaugural champions of the PFL so they can represent the country in the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

“You never know what’s going to happen in the last two games of the semifinals, but we will fight our way all the way to the finals because we want to join the AFC,” said Sanchez, who scored one of the two goals last Tuesday evening versus Ceres Negros. The other goal was scored by team captain Misagh Bahadoran.

Ceres Negros FC head coach Risto Vidakovic thinks Global Cebu FC has an advantage over FC Meralco Manila in the semis.

“In a normal condition, I think Global is the better team, but you know Meralco rested very well going to the semifinals while Global played in Singapore. They played against us so I think they don’t have time to prepare. They are just like us so we have to try our very best,” said Vidakovic.