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| CHAMPIONS. Global FC whoop it up after sealing their UFL Double with a rout of Laos. (Kevin Estrada) |
MANILA-- MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Global have snagged the UFL Double after clinching their third League title with one match to spare, smashing a listless Laos side to pieces earlier in the afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Needing only a point to end Ceres' defence of the crown, John Burridge's men get a huge boost from Hikaru Minegishi and Matthew Hartmann, with the midfield pair notch hat-tricks of their own, along with an Ivan Petrovic strike for a 7-0 rout over the cellar-dwelling side.
And they did the job despite resting key cogs such as Misagh Bahadoran, Patrick Deyto and Amani Aguinaldo who were on Azkals duty, with the Englishman giving Florencio Badelic a rare start between the sticks.
With that in mind, along with their unconventional 3-4-3, the Japanese dynamo kicked things off right less than a minute after the match began, scoring on a header that opened the floodgates over their undermanned side. He then bagged his brace from inside the penalty box just ten minutes into the match.
Hartmann joined the party just nine minutes after Minegishi's first half brace by adding a third for Global to all but reclaiming the crown they lost last season.
Not contented with the result at the half, Global kicked up a gear at the restart, with Minegishi getting his hat-trick in the 49th minute, followed by the Serbian who smashed it home for five-zip nine minutes later.
Hartmann then completed his hat-trick with two goals in the last twelve minutes of the match, as Global have snagged the title on 47 points with a match left in their schedule, effectively ending the reign of the Busmen who could only muster for 44 even if they won their final two assignments.
Dan Palami's side has now joined Philippine Air Force (2009-10) and Stallion (2012-13) in the elite circle of Double winners in the history of the league in its current iteration, five years after they almost had it right after being promoted as Division 2 titlists.
Global have snagged the UFL Double after clinching their third League title with one match to spare, smashing a listless Laos side to pieces earlier in the afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Needing only a point to end Ceres' defence of the crown, John Burridge's men get a huge boost from Hikaru Minegishi and Matthew Hartmann, with the midfield pair notch hat-tricks of their own, along with an Ivan Petrovic strike for a 7-0 rout over the cellar-dwelling side.
And they did the job despite resting key cogs such as Misagh Bahadoran, Patrick Deyto and Amani Aguinaldo who were on Azkals duty, with the Englishman giving Florencio Badelic a rare start between the sticks.
With that in mind, along with their unconventional 3-4-3, the Japanese dynamo kicked things off right less than a minute after the match began, scoring on a header that opened the floodgates over their undermanned side. He then bagged his brace from inside the penalty box just ten minutes into the match.
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| Hikaru Minegishi and Ivan Petrovic celebrates after a routine Global goal, one of seven that clinched the UFL Double for the champions. |
Not contented with the result at the half, Global kicked up a gear at the restart, with Minegishi getting his hat-trick in the 49th minute, followed by the Serbian who smashed it home for five-zip nine minutes later.
Hartmann then completed his hat-trick with two goals in the last twelve minutes of the match, as Global have snagged the title on 47 points with a match left in their schedule, effectively ending the reign of the Busmen who could only muster for 44 even if they won their final two assignments.
Dan Palami's side has now joined Philippine Air Force (2009-10) and Stallion (2012-13) in the elite circle of Double winners in the history of the league in its current iteration, five years after they almost had it right after being promoted as Division 2 titlists.
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