YouTube : RHB Singapore Cup: Loyola Meralco Sparks FC vs SHB Champasak FC

RUTHLESS SPARKS SWEEPS CHAMPASAK TO MARCH INTO QUARTERS

Written By: Kenneth Ho

Loyola Meralco Sparks earned its ticket into the quarter-finals of the RHB Singapore Cup 2014 after they saw off the challenge of SHB Champasak FC in the preliminary round.

The Philippines side emerged 7-1 winners and in truth could have scored more as they thoroughly dominated the match.

Philippines internationals James Younghusband and Simon Greatwich started the match after they were left out of Azkal’s game against Palestine in the AFC Challenge Cup finals, and it was James Younghusband who played a starring role in the match as he scored a hat-trick.

The forward opened the scoring with a free header in the 24th minute when he met Matthew Hartmann’s free kick at the far post with a thumping header.

He then headed in another in the 71st minute before completing his hat trick with a bullet of a free kick from 20 yards out in the 85th minute.

James Younghusband’s brother, Phillip Younghusband, started on the bench as Loyola coach Joseph Santos opted to rest him following his 90 minutes appearance in the AFC Challenge Cup finals.

However, Phillip Younghusbands came off the bench with 15 minutes to spare and still got on the score sheet within a minute of his introduction as he found himself facing Champasak goalkeeper Nguyen Tien Anh alone and finished calmly to earn a goal.

Both sides had went into the break at one goal apiece, after Imbem Itubu had glanced in a flick on from Daniel Obo to cancel out James Younghusband opener.

However, the Philippines side then went ahead after Sonxay Simoulay’s failed clearance saw him deflect a cross past his own goalkeeper.

From there on, the Sparks begun to run riot as they carved opened Champasak at will and created many chances.

That allowed another substitute, Alfredo Gonzalez, to grab a brace as he came off the bench to head in the fifth goal for Loyola before finishing off a cut-back from James Younghusband in the dying minutes of the game.

Even though the Sparks thoroughly deserved the victory, Champasak did put up a proper fight in first half.

The Laotian side nearly grabbed the lead in the first 15 minutes of the game when Bernard Michael saw his 20-yard header looped just over goal.

Sangvone Phimmasen then wasted another good opportunity when he failed to make the most of his chance from 18 yards out despite having time and space.

They then did well to create the equaliser by forcing Loyola custodian Baba Sampana into a save following a thunderbolt from Thatsadaphone Vorladed. The resulting corner saw Imbem grabbed the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

Loyola spurned many opportunities to widen the margin, and  while many of their attackers were guilty of being profligate, none was as guilty as Graham Caygill.

The forward enjoyed many chances in the danger area on several occasions, but failed to find the mark.

Even when his attempts did find the mark, Caygill failed to put power in his shots. This was especially so in the 55th minute when he was three yards out from goal but could only weakly direct his shot into Nguyen Tien Anh.

The win meant that Loyola are the only invitational side to remain in the Singapore Cup, as all three other invited clubs including Champasak crashed out at the first hurdle of the tournament.

sleague.com

Singapore Cup : Loyola Meralco Sparks Fc 7-1 SHB Champasak (Laos)

Singapore Cup

Loyola Meralco Sparks Fc vs SHB Champasak (Laos)


Loyola Starting XI: Sampana, Dorlas, Bonney, Canas, Elnar, JYH, Park, Hartmann, Greatwich, Lee, Caygill.

Match delayed , started 8.40 Pm

24 min 1-0 James Younghusband
45 mins 1-1
1-1 HT
48 mins 2-1 Own goal
71 mins 3-1 James Younghusband
Double substitution for the Sparks: Park Bobae out, Graham Caygill out Fred Gonzalez in, Phil Younghusband in
77 mins 4-1 Phil Younghusband
83 mins 5-1 Freddie Gonzalez
86 mins 6-1 James Younghusband
90 mins 7-1 Freddie Gonzalez

YouTube : RHB Singapore Cup: Global FC vs Brunei DPMM FC

SPARKS’ TEST FOR LAOTIAN GIANTS

Loyola Meralco Sparks (PHI) vs SHB Champasak (LAO)

(June 1, Sunday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Philippines’ outfit Loyola Meralco Sparks will be keen to better their previous two appearances in the RHB Singapore Cup as they take on Laotian’s giants SHB Champasak in the preliminary round at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Sparks’ debut in the competition two years ago saw them finishing in fourth spot, losing to Gombak United in the 3rd and 4th placing match. A year ago, they were unfortunate to be knocked out in the quarter finals 4-5 on aggregate after an intriguing against eventual finalist Tanjong Pagar United over two legs.

Their opponents in their campaign opener is Champasak who won the 2013 Lao Premier League, their first major trophy in their club’s history.

Champasak is currently second in the domestic league, levelled on 22 points with leaders HA-Attapeu FC who have a superior goal difference.

Leading the Laotian at the back is 22-year old Ketsada Souksavanh who scored for Laos national team in their 1-3 defeat to Singapore a year ago.

In midfield, they will rely heavily on Michael Bernard Segun (Nigeria) and Imbem Itubu (Congo) to provide stability and also creativity. The duo will also be responsible to provide the ammunitions to their strikers, Daniel Obo (Ghana) and Elenildo de Jesus (Brazil).

Bernard has been on scoring form of late as he snatch a hat-trick in their win over Yotha while midfielders Khonesavanh Thongchaleune and Sakda Luangsombath have put on a decent performance in their recent climb up the league table.

For Loyola coach Vincent Santos, he will be hoping that their Philippines internationals James Younghusband, Philip Younghusband and Simon Greatwich make it back in time from international duty for the match.

The trio was with the Azkals in the AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives, where they narrowly lost to Palestine 1-0 in the final on 30 May, with the winner of the tournament gaining a berth in the prestigious AFC Asian Cup next year in Australia.

But even without the Younghusbands and Greatwich, there is enough depth for Santos. Upfront they can count on former internationals Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Gonzalez who scored a hat-trick against Army FC in the United Football League.

At the centre of the park, Sparks boasted an impressive quartet of Matthew Hartmann, Bo Bae Park, Joo Young Lee (both South Korea) and Joaquin Canas (Spain).

While the Laotians will try their best to squeeze through to the quarter-finals, it will be a test of not only their physical strength but also their level of fitness.

Loyola Meralco Sparks’ Squad for 2014 RHB Singapore Cup

Goalkeeper: Ricardo Padilla Jr., Baba Sampana (Ghana)

Defenders: Samuel Bonney (Ghana), Alexandro Elnar, Armand Del Rosario, Peter Fadrigalan, Roxy Dorlas. 

Midfielders: Matthew Hartmann, James Younghusband, Bo Bae Park (Korea), Simon Greatwich, Joaquin Canas (Spain), Paolo Bugas, Arnel Amita, Joo Young Lee (Korea), Angelou Jurao.

Forwards: Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Gonzalez, Philip Younghusband, Robert Canedo, Graham Edward Caygill.

SHB Champasak’s Squad for 2014 RHB Singapore Cup

Goalkeepers: Somsay Ounnalay, Nguyen Tien Anh (Vietnam).

Defenders: Bounthavee Phommasith, Ketsada Souksavanh, Oudomsith Singlatsomboun, Sonxay Simoulay, Vixay Khamxomphou, Xaybandith Sombatdouang.

Midfielders: Khonesavanh Thongchaleune, Sakda Luangsombath, Soulinthone Simmavong, Thatsadaphone Vorladed, Xam Sengmany, Michael Bernard Segun (Nigeria), Imbem Itubu (Congo).

Forwards: Sangvonne Phimmasen, Daniel Obo (Ghana), Elenildo de Jesus (Brazil)

sleague.com

GLOBAL DEMOLISHED BY DPMM IN SEVEN-GOAL ROUT

Written by: Phoon Jia Hui

Roy O’Donovan’s hat-trick helped Brunei DPMM to a 7-0 thumping of Global FC in their RHB Singapore Cup tie at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday evening as they qualified for the quarter-finals in style.

Also getting onto the scoresheet were Rodrigo Tosi who grabbed a brace, as well as substitutes Shahrazen Said and Azwan Saleh as Global’s run in the competition came to a premature end.  

Weakened by the absence of players away on international duty with Philippines, the Global defence found it hard to contain a deadly DPMM strikeforce comprising Tosi and O’Donovan. 

DPMM on the other hand were missing Roberto Alviz who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury as captain Rosmin Kamis started on the bench with Joe Gamble and Hendra Azam starting in the heart of midfield.

The opening exchanges saw the two teams cancel each other out and chances were at a premium as the first chance of note came after only 31 minutes.

It was O’Donovan who sent a looping header over from Helmi Zambin’s cross before Boris Raspudic headed wide off Hendra’s corner delivery minutes later. 

O’Donovan then should have scored to put his side ahead on 39 minutes but could only fire straight at Jose Pascual after latching onto Tosi’s through pass.     

The restart saw Global come out of the break strongly as they fashioned two decent chances in the space of two minutes through Mark Hartmann although none found the net.

However, it did not take long for the deadlock to be broken as it did in the 58th minute when an unmarked Tosi headed Sairol Sahari’s deep cross past a rooted Pascual with the floodgates opening thereafter.

O’Donovan doubled the lead for the designated visitors a minute later after he was sent racing clear, lifting the ball beyond the onrushing Pascual.

It was then three goals to the good for the Wasps when Tosi netted with another header for his second of the night on 71 minutes before a defensive mix-up seven minutes later saw O’Donovan bulge the net again to make it 4-0.

The misery was not over for Leigh Manson’s side though, as there was still time for more goals.

Azwan’s low shot was deflected into the bottom corner on 80 minutes and O’Donovan then completed his hat-trick at the end of regulation time, leaving a defender in his wake before calmly slotting past Pascual.

The scoring was completed in stoppage time when Shahrazen fired past Pascual from 20 yards to cap off an impressive second-half performance from DPMM who will join the likes of defending champions Home United and Tampines Rovers in the last eight of the Singapore Cup.

sleague.com

Singapore Cup : Global Fc 0-7 DPMM Fc

Global Fc lost 0-7 to DPMM Fc from Brunei  in Singapore Cup today.

Half time result was 0-0

GLOBAL XI vs Brunei DPMM FC: Pascual, Rodriguez, Martinez, Pettys, Barbaso, Hoshide, Christiaens, Guirado, Bahadoran, Dizon, Hartmann

SINGAPORE CUP - DOMESTIC LEAGUE LEADERS MEET AT JALAN BESAR

Global FC (PHI) vs Brunei DPMM

(May 31, Saturday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Kenneth Ho

A tantalising clash is set to await spectators at Jalan Besar as the two sides at the top of their respective leagues meet in the preliminary rounds of the 2014 RHB Singapore Cup.

Seven points clear of their nearest opponents in Philippines’ top-flight league, Global are well poised to claim the United Football League title with five games to go.

Brunei DPMM are doing well in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League too, as they currently are perched above the likes of Warriors FC and Tampines Rovers.

Things could be tough for the Bruneian side though, as they come in to this game on the back of a demoralising 1-0 defeat by fellow title-challengers Warriors FC.

On the other hand, Global last tasted defeat in February, at the hands of Kaya in their own domestic league. Since then, they have gone a nine-game unbeaten run, while scoring an astonishing 43 goals along the way.

Though Global have been scoring freely, it is improbable they will have it as easy against DPMM as they do to their domestic counterparts.

DPMM currently have the meanest defence in the league, with only seven goals conceded so far. Marshalled by the ever-dependable Boris Raspudic, Global’s frontline will have a tough time breaking through their opponents’ defence.

Global was involved in the tournament last year as well, and had a good run till the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual runner-ups Tanjong Pagar.

However, their hopes of going on a similar good run this year will have taken a beating, as they will be missing several key players.

Amani Aguinaldo, Jason De Jong, Daisuke Sato have all reported for international duty with Philippines due to the AFC Challenge Cup final against Palestine on 30 May in Maldives, with the winner qualifying for the 2015 Australia Asian Cup

While Global did triumphed over DPMM last year en-route to the semi-finals, they are now missing Carli De Murga and Rufino Sanchez who both scored against the Bruneian side in the quarter finals last year to propel the Filipino side past DPMM after a two-legged 5-4 aggregate win.

Global FC’s Squad for 2014 RHB Singapore Cup

Goalkeepers: Florencio Badelic Jr., Paolo Pascual.

Defenders: Amani Aguinaldo, Jerry Barbaso, Jeffrey Christaens, Neil Bacolod Dorimon, Nino Ochotorena, Charles Pettys, German Rodriguez (Mexico), Richard Pitogo Talaro Jr.

Midfielders: Aaron Altiche, Misagh Bahadoran, Jason De Jong, Curt Dizon, Yu Hoshide (Japan), John Kanayama, Raul Martinez (Mexico), John Regis, Daisuke Sato.

Forwards: Angel Guirado, Mark Hartmann, Hardy Pinto Moreira (Portugal), Reuben Raya Rivera Silitonga, Izzeldin Elzaki Ibrahim Elhabib (Sudan)

SLEAGUE.COM

Singapore Cup : Global Fc and Loyola to Singapore

Global Fc is in Singapore preparing for Singapore Cup.

They are facing DPMM FC from Brunei on Saturday.

Loyola Meralco Sparks is also going to Singapore , they are playing Laos club SHB Champasak on Sunday.

Both matches at 7.30 pm in Jalan Besar Stadium.

Philippines playing Palestine on Friday and Global will probably miss Sato , Aguinaldo and De Jong.

Unknown if Younghusbands and Simon Greatwich will be going to Singapore after AFC Challenge Cup final

Singapore Cup 2014 Draw : Loyola and Global Fc

The RHB Singapore Cup 2014 Preliminary Round Draw is shown below. Please note that the details of the schedules of matches will be released at a later time.

Pool A:
Harimau Muda vs Tampines Rovers FC
Woodlands Wellington FC vs Geylang International FC
Tanjong Pagar United FC vs Hougang United FC
Warriors FC vs Balestier Khalsa FC

Pool B:
Svay Rieng FC (Cambodia) vs Albirex Niigata (S) FC
Home United FC vs Nagacorp FC (Cambodia)
Global FC (Philippines) vs Brunei DPMM FC
Loyola Meralco Sparks FC (Philippines) vs SHB Champasak FC (Laos)

2014 Singapore Cup - Loyola Meralco Sparks participate

Loyola Meralco Sparks Fc will also this year participate in Singapore Cup .

Qualifier is scheduled to start in end of May/early June

Draw will be on May 3.

No news if Global Fc also will participate.