GLOBAL bucked the absence of Izzo El-Habib to repulse Philippine Air Force, 2-0, on Thursday and keep leader Stallion within sight in the United Football League at the Emperador Stadium in Taguig.
Missing the scoring punch of the their suspended Sudanese striker, the defending champions leaned on two second-half goals courtesy of Misagh Bahadoran and Jeffrey Christiaens to score the hard-earned victory that pulled them within five points from the Stallions with a game in hand.
“We are actually quite crippled every time we lose Izzo on top,” Global owner Dan Palami admitted. ‘I think we are able to bring the ball inside the box, but it really shows we need a striker there to convert the goals for us. I think if we want to be champions in the League, we need to convert our chances.”
“It was a win, but it was a poor performance considering the statistics. I think we should’ve won that game (by a bigger margin),” said Palami, also the national team manager.
Scoreless despite controlling possession in the first half, Global found enough resolve in the second half to prevail.
Global was finally rewarded 12 minutes after the restart when Bahadoran found the back of the net off a cross from Ben Starosta.
Christiaens doubled the lead 11 minutes later as Global protected the cushion.
The Airmen stayed in ninth place with six points and in danger of relegation.
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