Four-star Mirlan slams AFC President's Cup door on outclassed Global

By Karlo Sacamos

GLOBAL'S inaugural international foray came to a halt on Sunday night as it bowed to Dordoi Bishkek, 1-6, at the close of the Asian Football Confederation President’s Cup group stage at the Cebu City Sports Complex.

The reigning United Football League champions, the first Philippine club to be invited in the continental competition featuring squads from emerging Asian football nations, failed to protect an early lead as they witnessed Kyrgyzstani star Murzaev Mirlan put on a clinic to the dismay of the partisan Filipino crowd.

Dordoi thus joined Pakistan’s KRL, which walloped Yeedzin, 8-0, earlier, as the two clubs to reach the finals in September after finishing the group stage with seven points apiece.

It was a heartbreaker for the Philippine side, which had been in a great position to clinch an early finals berth after scoring a 5-0 rout of Yeedzin in the tournament opener last Wednesday.

But after suffering two straight losses against perennial contenders, Global finished the tournament in third place with three points.

Eager to make the home crowd proud, Global started strong and was immediately rewarded nine minutes into the game when Carli de Murga found the back of the net in a play that started from a Jeffrey Christiaens corner.

But the celebration was short-lived as Mirlan retaliated with his own strike five minutes later after a miscommunication by Global defender Ben Starosta and goalkeeper Moussa Sanogo, who proved to be an unsteady presence the rest of the way as the squad’s last line of defense.

After he converted a penalty strike in the 25th, Mirlan scored two more goals in the second half to finish with four.

spin.ph