AFC President’s Cup: Kyrgyz side too much for Global FC
CEBU CITY – In the nine-year history of the Asian Football Confederation President's Cup, Dordoi Bishkek have won the event twice and have finished runners-up on four other occasions.
On Sunday night, we saw why.
In front of a throaty Cebuano crowd at Abellana Field Dordoi spotted Global an early goal, then took command of the game with six unanswered strikes.
Mirlan Murzaev struck four times for the Kyrgyz champs, upping his total for the week to nine goals.
With the 6-1 victory Dordoi win Group B on goal difference over Pakistan squad Khan Research Laboratories. The Bishkek team and KRL both finish with seven points from two wins each and a draw against each other.
Dordoi's goal difference is +14, four more than the Pakistanis. Both teams now qualify for the six-team final round of the competition in September.
Global, with three points from a solitary win over Bhutan's Yeedzin, are eliminated in third place.
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The Filipinos just didn't have the physicality and guile to outplay Dordoi's mostly airtight defense marshalled by Ghanaian Daniel Tagoe and national team veterans Ruslan Sydykov and Talant Samsaliev. They needed a win to remain alive and sadly fell far short.
But the home team did strike first.
In the ninth minute a corner kick from Jeffrey Christiaens was cleared back to Carlie De Murga, who volleyed it into the low left corner past Dordoi goalie Pavel Matiash.
Global's joy was short-lived. Just five minutes later Khaiumzhan Sharipov beat Jason De Jong on the right flank and centered to Murzaev, who poached a goal after Global keeper Moussa Sanogo was unable to corral the ball.
Ten minutes later Dordoi were awarded a penalty by the Sri Lankan ref after David Bruce Tetteh fell theatrically over Ben Starosta's foot. Replays showed that there was minimal contact if at all, but the call stood.
On the spot kick Murzaev calmy drilled the ball home as Sanogo leapt to his left.
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Six minutes later De Murga nearly equalized but his long-range shot went straight to Matiash.
Just moments later Global suffered a huge blow when winger Patrick Reichelt tweaked his hamstring and had to be subbed by Nino Ochotorena. Ochotorena went to left back, sliding Jeffrey Christiaens up to left wing and Misagh Bahadoran to the right wing.
Before the half De Jong, Bahadoran and Christiaens all squandered chances to tie.
Eight minutes after the restart Juani Guirado was forced to execute a professional foul on a Dordoi player breaking away outside the box. He got a yellow card and in the ensuing free kick Murzaev coaxed the ball around the wall and into Sanogo's top right corner for his hat trick. It was a splendid goal that was celebrated with a backflip.
Two minutes later Sanogo shocked the Cebu crowd by taking the ball from his box and venturing past the center line. Sanogo went so far that he was almost near the opposing box.
When possession reverted to the visitors he was also a bit slow tracking back to his area.
Global mentor Brian Reid was apparently not amused with this bizarre Rene Higuita-esque move so early in the game, as minutes later the Ivorian was replaced by Azkals keeper Ed Sacapano.
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But it made little difference as in the 64th minute Murzaev picked up his fourth, a glorious outside-of-the boot curler into the top left corner that Sacapano had no hope of ever reaching.
Thirteen minutes later it became 5-1. Sacapano saved well on a one-v-one but the shot bounced towards the line. It was cleared by Ben Starosta, only for it to ricochet to the feet of substitute Islam Shamsiev, who lasered it past Sacapano.
Deep into stoppage time Tetteh, a Ghanaian-born naturalized Kyrgyz, steered a header that arced past Sacapano into the top right corner to finish the scoring.
Global now refocuses their attention to the UFL, where they lie second in the league table to Stallion Sta. Lucia.
They will have another taste of international competition soon, though. On June 1 they play Warriors FC in Singapore in the first round of the Singapore Cup.
Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
