Saturday, July 26, 2008 Cebu teams beat favorites in POF football
IT was a glorious day for Cebu football as both contingents, Cebu City and Cebu Province, triumphed in their respective games in the 2008 Philippine Olympic Festival Visayas Qualifying Games yesterday in Dumaguete.
Cebu City edged the powerhouse Iloilo squad, 2-1, with their stifling defense in the second half of the game.
Coach Mario Ceniza changed his strategy and opted for speed in the defensive area to counter the Iloilo strikers.
“We had changes in our defense. I used smaller players on defense to neutralize their attack,” Ceniza said in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu.
Bran Myles Go struck the first goal for Cebu City in the early going of the game for a 1-0 advantage but after a few minutes Iloilo retaliated to tie the game at 1-1.
Emmanuel Cunningham, a player from Cebu International School, scored a free kick from 25 yards for a lead 2-1 in the first half.
“The boys played their hearts out in this game. They just had first game jitters yesterday,” said Ceniza on their sweet victory.
Cebu City was defeated by Negros Occidental in their first game, 2-1.
Meanwhile, Cebu Province was victorious against Negros Oriental, 1-0.
Cedric Ang scored for Cebu Province in the 18th minute of the second half clinching the victory.
