Global FC up against attacking Brisbane

MANILA, Philippines – Up against three-time A-League champions Brisbane Roar in Stage 2 of the AFC Champions League qualifiers, history-chasing Philippine club Global FC braces for a very tough mission in their  big match-up on Tuesday at Suncorp Stadium in Queensland.

Global captain Misagh Bahadoran said after hurdling Stage 1 with a 2-0 disposal of Singapore’s Tampines Rovers back home  a week ago, he immediately sought fellow Azkals mainstay Iain Ramsay of Ceres for some info against the Roar. Fil-Aussie Ramsay had first-hand experience playing against Brisbane during his A-League stint with Adelaide United and Melbourne City.

“He (Ramsay) told me they are a very good team and they will attack a lot, so it’s going to be a difficult game for us,” Bahadoran told Australian football TV show The World Game.

The Philippine side is entering the away fixture at the 52,500-seater Suncorp Stadium as the heavy underdog but Bahadoran stressed they shouldn’t carry a “nothing-to-lose” mentality.

“In football, there is always pressure and there is always something to lose,” he said. “We will play our best and fight until the end, and then we will see the result.”

Global is on a high after its milestone debut last week at Rizal Memorial Stadium but had little time to actually celebrate with tough Brisbane on the horizon. 

“We did enjoy the moment, but now we have another big game to win and do our best. We are excited to go there and give them a good game,” said the Fil-Iranian.

Brisbane goes into the game fresh from a pulsating 2-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers via Brett Holm’s last-gasp winner, a result that lifted them to third spot in the A-League. 

Cebu-based Global seeks to pull off a massive reversal in Brisbane to advance to the playoff round of the ACL qualifiers against waiting Shanghai Shenhua.