MANILA, Philippines - Teknika banked on Izzeldin Elhabbib’s individual soccer wizardry to blank Rizal-Smart San Beda, 3-0, Saturday in the opening leg of the PFF-Smart Club Championship finals at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Pouncing on the slightest of openings, the slippery 24-year-old Sudanese striker conjured up a hat trick of goals in the 26th, 77th and 88 minutes to lead the Teknika booters in their “home” game past their undermanned rivals.
San Beda missed four key players –Phil and James Younghusband, Andres Gonzales and Adrian Concepcion – but managed to stay in the thick of the fight most of the time, and also had scoring chances of its own but just lacked the finishing touch to put the ball into the net.
The Younghusband brothers, Gonzales and Concepcion had all earned two yellow cards each in their previous games going back to the group eliminations in Cagayan de Oro last week and were suspended for the first leg of the finals.
“This game showed that we deserve to be in the championship,” said coach Frank Muescan, whose wards gun for a sweep of the home-and-away finals in the rematch between both squads at 6 p.m. today also at the Rizal stadium.
“But I wouldn’t count San Beda out considering that the Younghusbands and two of their mainstays will be back in action in the second game,” Muescan said. “We can’t afford to relax in the second game. A 3-0 lead is not safe.”
“We were bothered by Elhabbib’s opening goal,” said San Beda coach Aris Caslib after the match. “We showed a lot of cohesion and the ability to get to the goal was there, but we lacked finishing.”
“With my main players back, we just need to step up (and win the second match),” Caslib added.
“Down by three goals, I still believe we’re still capable of turning things around,” said James Younghusband after the game.
He and younger brother Phil, who had actress-girlfriend Angel Locsin in tow, could only witness the game from the sidelines in lending moral support for their teammates.
Elhabbib’s first goal was mainly because of a rare mental lapse by San Beda goalie Ref Cuaresma, who strayed too far from the net as the Sudanese forward eluded one defender and then slotted a 35-foot roller on the right wing.
A swift counterattack led by Gerald Orcullo nearly resulted in the equalizer but Teknika goalkeeper Kenneth Dolloso, who had another outstanding night, was there to save the shot.
The Sudanese’s second marker was on another breakaway, firing a 35-yarder from center while the last was slick strike from 25 feet just inside the box.
While San Beda will have four of its first-stringers back, it will be without forward David Fornea, who earned two yellow cards last Saturday and will be suspended for today’s game.