Younghusband leads San Beda over Breakers

CAGAYAN DE ORO – James Younghusband scored a hat-trick in powering Smart San Beda FC past Bao Breakers, 6-0, while Pachanga stunned Stallions FC of Barotac Nuevo, 2-0, as the group eliminations of the PFF-Smart Club Championships got under way here and in Iloilo last Tuesday.


James opened his blitz with a splendid left corner kick in the 34th minute then added two more in the 49th and 52nd minutes in anchoring the charges of former national coach Aris Caslib.



Vaugn Melendres headed in the icebreaker in the 24th minute for San Beda while Eliezer Fabroada (41st) and Phil Younghusband (73rd), were the team’s other scorers.




Despite the lopsided match, Caslib was dissatisfied with the form of his players saying, “We still lack cohesion because of the long layoff.”


The other Group A match pitting Teknika and Laos ended in a riveting 2-all standoff in a physical and bruising encounter that saw Azkal striker Misagh Bahadoran getting a red card in the 56th minute for elbowing a Laos defender who was closely marking him.


Because of the offense, Bahadoran will be suspended for one match and will not be on the bench when Teknika tackles Bao Breakers on Thursday.


Aye Arye Nil (5th) and Elhabbib Badreldin (10th) scored for Teknika while Ange Tressor Guisso (12th) and Papiniano Macayanan (22nd) were Laos’ goal scorers.


Teknika’s Mark Cortes, Badreldin and Kama Valentine and Laos’ Remu Alain-Seryr and William Diaz were slapped yellow cards each attesting to the heated contest between two sides identified with national team manager Dan Palami, who is also the president of the Leyte Football Association. (PR)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 11, 2011.