Chima Uzoka | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Football Club (CFC) Gentle Giants exacted revenge over their tormentors, the Davao Aguilas UMAK FC, 1-0, in their crucial Philippines Football League (PFL) Season 2024 match on Sunday, June 9, at the Dynamic Herb – Borromeo Sports Complex, here.
CFC’s ever-reliable striker Chima Uzoka provided CFC’s lone goal at the at the 51st minute from a timely back-and-forth pass from Zamoranho Ho-A-Tham.
The win elevated CFC to the No. 2 spot, while Davao dropped two places below in the team standings at the No. 4 spot.
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The Gentle Giants is one point behind league-leader Kaya FC Iloilo with 24 points over the latter’s 25 points.
CFC’s win over Davao improved their record to eight wins with one loss, while the latter suffered their first defeat in nine matches.
READ: Cebu FC defends home turf, beats One Taguig 3-1 in PFL
To recall, Davao eliminated CFC in last year’s Copa Paulino Alcantara via aggregate goal in the semifinals.
Sweet revenge
Last Sunday’s win was a sweet revenge served on a cold plate and a testament to CFC’s improved performance on the pitch.
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“I feel so happy to be the goal scorer for today but I give credit also to my teammates, we worked very, very hard for this goal, and to the coaches and fans, without the fans we couldn’t have made this happen,” said Uzoka, who was named as the ‘Man of the Match’.
Both teams were eyeing a victory to cement their chances to represent the Philippines in the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League which CFC already accomplished last year as the overall No. 2 team in the PFL.
With that in mind, Cebu and Davao must win their five remaining matches in the PFL to determine who among them will compete in the AFC Champions League.
CFC’s next match is on June 16 against the Manila Digger FC, still at the Dynamic Herb – Borromeo Sports Complex.