Negrenses, foreigners rule All-Star Weekend

NEGROS Occidental leaned on a Jinggoy Valmayor hat-trick to overwhelm Iloilo, 5-3, Saturday night and rule the Western Visayas Classic highlighting the UFL All-Star Weekend at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Pachanga Diliman striker’s virtuoso show proved to be the difference in the battle between football’s two rival provinces as the Negrenses delivered a strong finishing kick.

Valmayor scored the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute before sealing the win with an emphatic strike five minutes from time.

Later, the UFL Rest of the World All Stars, also drawing a hat-trick from Green Archers forward Robert Mendy, fought back from a goal down to nip the UFL All Filipino side, 5-4.

Mendy scored all his three goals in the second half, while Louis Clark and Daniel del Rio also added a goal each as the league’s top foreign talents came out on top against a squad littered with national team standouts.

Misagh Bahadoran gave the Filipinos the lead in the seventh minute before Del Rio equalized just before halftime.

Mendy’s strike early in the second half put the foreigners on top, but Simone Rota rifled home a shot off a Manny Ott corner to tie the game again. But the foreigners scored three goals in a six-minute spell to seal the win, before consolation strikes from Nate Burkey and Anton del Rosario pegged the final score.

Valmayor kept his poise to beat Wilson Muñoz in the seventh minute, but a defensive mixup allowed Ian Araneta to put Iloilo on level terms two minutes later.

Jimuel Arriola restored Negros’ lead with a header before giving the Negrenses a 3-1 advantage at the break with a composed finish.