DYNAMIC Herb Cebu put up a good fight but lost to Stallion Laguna FC, 1-0, in its pro debut on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 in the Philippines Football League Copa Paulino Alcantara at the Philippines Football Federation Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
Cebu FC looked very well organized and seemed like they had been playing together for a long time despite just being formed this year.
Cebu FC was very competitive but conceded an early goal by Senegalese forward Abou Sy.
Sy barreled his way through the Cebu FC defenders and poked in the ball to get past goalkeeper Nathanael Villanueva to give Stallion FC a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
“It’s about respect. There should be fair play. We got outwitted, but last night’s game is a lesson learned for us,” Cebu FC head coach Oliver Colina told SunStar Cebu. “It should have been a fair play, and they should have kicked the ball out. Their teammates already shouted to kick the ball out. That’s why our players stopped, but they still continued to play.”
Sy’s goal came right after Kim Sungmin was brought down with a tackle. Instead of the usual “fair play,” wherein the play is stopped when a player is down, Stallion FC continued its attack.
Cebu FC had enough time to score an equalizer but failed to do so.
“It was our first game and in the first half some of our players were most likely excited and nervous. But overall, we played well. We were just unlucky when we reached our attacking third. There wasn’t much movement, especially our strikers,” said Colina.
With the loss, Cebu FC is in for a tough assignment against Kaya FC-Iloilo in the semifinals, while Stallion FC faces the winner of the match between Mendiola FC 1991 and Azkals Development Team.
“We will have some adjustments, but we will see in our training today and tomorrow. Anyway, our game is still on Nov. 16, I think. We still have enough time to prepare,” said an optimistic Colina.
Kaya FC stayed unbeaten with a dominant 6-0 win over Mendiola FC 1991 in Group B.
The dynamic duo of Jovin Bedic and Daizo Horikoshi each had a brace for Kaya FC. Bedic scored in the 11th and 63rd minute, while Horikoshi hit the back of the net in the 35th and 83rd minutes. Ryo Fujii and Carlyle Mitchell also added a goal each in the 40th and 91st minutes, respectively.