By Ivan Saldajeno
BOCAUE—Needing a win to enter the knockout stages of the AFC Cup, Global played to a "heartbreaking" draw with Pahang in their do-or-die match at the Philippine Sports Stadium on Wednesday night.
Despite the non-win, Coach Leigh Manson considered it a positive outcome.
"This is a good result. It's just that this is not the result we needed," Manson told the press in the news conference after the 0-0 stalemate.
He believed that his players showed their A-game against Pahang, albeit falling short of the necessary win.
Manson continued, "Looking at today, our preparation was good. Our system was good, and the players knew what they had to do. All went well for us. The players played intelligent football. They followed the tactical plan."
So what went wrong for Global then?
The mentor answered, "This game is about tiny details to make the difference, and that's what we would get better at—it's the small things that made the big picture."
He specifically mentioned, "Finishing and quick reaction inside the six-yard box will be something we'll look at."
Summarizing the entire campaign, where the club finished with one win, two draws, and three losses, Manson said, "We've learned a lot about the organizational side.... It's a learning experience for everybody—myself, the coaches, the players. We're smart to learn from these things."
He, however, admitted that Global could have won against Yadanarbon in Myanmar in the first round considering how they played out in the return leg in Bocaue.
"If we had a full-strength squad, I think we would have won away from home in Myanmar as well," saidanson
Despite not making past the group stages, he believed that his club can now compete internationally.
Manson observed, "What we proved was that we can play with the big boys. We shouldn't fear anybody. So when we go to Singapore [for the Singapore Cup], we'll go confidently at the back of this."
He hopes that the next UFL representatives to the AFC Cup will end up in a slightly favorable group.
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