Cebu FC off to a blazing start

CEBU, Philippines — The revitalized Dynamic Herb-Cebu FC Gentle Giants got off to the best possible start they could, blasting Loyola FC, 4-0, in the opener of the expanded Philippine Football League (PFL) 2024 season on Saturday night at the Dynamic Herb-Borromeo Sports Complex in South Road Properties.

Although they’re still adjusting with some new players in the lineup and a new system under head coach Memis Ozata, the Gentle Giants performed beyond expectations.

The two sides actually played tough right from the opening whistle until Loyola FC’s goalkeeper Isaac Annan suffered a bad fall at the 28th minute when he was inadvertently ran over by the speeding CFC’s Jaime Rosquillo while trying to intercept the ball.

Seven minutes later, Abou Mouhamed Sy, a transferee from Kaya FC, proved his worth by nailing CFC’s first goal.

Zamoranho Ho-A-Tham, from the Netherlands, then single-handedly dribbled from the middle and went for a goal landing at the top left corner to end the first half with a 2-0 advantage for CFC.

Loyola tried to turn the table around but got caught with a string of fouls instead.

With only three minutes goine by iin the final half, Sy scored on a free kick.

Over 10 minutes later, Ho-A-Tham made another surprising shot as his free kick went past the four-man wall. He ended up being the Man of the Match.

Coach Ozata said in a post-game interview that the Cebuanos and the rest can be assured of an even better performance in their next game.

In other results, Mendiola FC blanked the Philippine Air Force, 7-0, while Maharlika FC and the Manila Diggers both pulled off a 3-2 squeaker over the Philippine Army and Tuloy FC, respectively.