SINGAPORE—For the second straight year, a team from the Philippines finished fourth in the Singapore Cup.
A severely depleted Global side bowed to S-League side Balestier Khalsa, 0-1, in the third place playoff Thursday night at Jalan Besar Stadium here.
Global’s finish matched last year’s run by the Loyola Meralco Sparks, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals early this year.
The only goal of the game came courtesy of Singapore international Qui Li, who fired home from just inside the box eight minutes after the break in Balestier’s only chance of the second half.
Except for Li’s goal, Global actually dominated possession and carved out the better chances in the second half in a display that left manager Dan Palami and coach Brian Reid satisfied.
“I cannot fault the players because they played hard and showed commitment,” said Reid.
“We’re happy with the experience here in Singapore and we are hopeful that we will get invited back next year for an opportunity to better our finish this year,” said Palami.
Already without injured stars Carli de Murga and Misagh Bahadoran, Global learned a few hours before kickoff that Spanish striker Rufo Sanchez was deemed ineligible for the match as organizers decided to uphold the one-year suspension slapped against him by the United Football League.