Sam Strong. | Cebu FC photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Football Club surged to the top of the standings in the Philippines Football League (PFL) Season 2024-2025 after a decisive 2-0 victory over the equally determined Philippine Youth National Team on Sunday, October 6, at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Gentle Giants now lead by two goals in goal difference over the second-placed Stallions Laguna, who also secured a 2-0 win against One Taguig FC in a separate match on the same day.
Both teams boast a perfect record with six points from two matches.
READ: Cebu FC annihilates Mendiola FC in PFL season opener
American striker Sam Strong made his mark in the PFL, scoring his first goal for Cebu FC in the 86th minute.
Standing as the tallest player on the team, Strong capitalized on a defensive mismatch, executing a perfect header from a lob delivered by Charles Dabao to find the back of the net.
READ: Cebu FC loses to Selangor FC in AFC Champions League 2
Not content with a single late goal, Cebu FC added a second in stoppage time, courtesy of homegrown talent Lorenzo Genco.
Genco broke free alongside teammate Guytho Mijland, finishing the counterattack with precision to secure the victory.
READ: Dynamic Herb Cebu Football Club welcomes new head coach
Challenging match
The Gentle Giants faced a challenging match, playing with only 10 players after Papu Corsame received a red card for elbowing John Lloyd Jalique of the Philippine Youth Team in the 20th minute.
Jalique was issued a yellow card for a separate collision with Marius Koré moments later.
Prior to their victory, Cebu FC had to fend off a resilient youth team that created several scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Fortunately, goalkeeper Jun Badelic was in top form, successfully thwarting the youth team’s relentless attempts to breach Cebu FC’s defense.