Global grounds Air Force, grabs lead

DEFENDER Juan Luis Guirado fired two goals as Global climbed to top spot with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Air Force yesterday in the United Football League at the University of Makati field.

Fresh from a stint with the national team in the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal, Guirado stood out on the defensive end as well as on attack to fuel Global to its sixth win in eight matches.

Carli de Murga and Izo El-Habbib scored in the final 10 minutes as Global flaunted its firepower to hold off a resilient Air Force side.

With the match pitting Kaya and Stallion called off in the second half because of lightning, Global jacked up its record to 18 points and wrested top spot ahead of Kaya on goal difference.

Kaya was leading, 1-0, thanks to Eric Dagroh’s 34th minute goal when the match was stopped in the 65th minute.

Air Force, the reigning league and Cup champion, remained rooted in sixth spot as it fell to its third loss of the season.

There was more concern for Air Force as Chieffy Caligdong left the field on a stretcher early in the second half as he fell while trying to chase the ball on the endline.

Global also suffered a blow on the play as goalkeeper Paolo Pascual was hit by Caligdong’s boot during the play and was replaced by Jerome Sylvain.

Guirado pounced on the rebound off his younger brother Angel’s saved free kick to open the scoring in the 36th minute, before Misagh Bahadoran doubled the lead with a sweetly struck volley at the stroke of halftime.

Ian Araneta quickly responded with a close-range strike—the first of his two goals—in injury time, cutting the deficit, 1-2, at halftime.

Defending set pieces continued to be Air Force’s waterloo and Guirado made them pay seven minutes after the restart as he headed home from a corner.

But just when it looked like Global was cruising, Air Force rallied valiantly with Yanti Barsales following up substitute Surgeant Montillano’s saved shot in the 63rd minute.

Araneta tied the match at 3-all, finding the bottom corner with an indirect free kick inside the area after an error by Sylvain, who held the ball too long.

But Global would have the final say as De Murga’s shot was deflected in by Martin Doctora in the 81st minute, before El Habbib rounded out Tats Mercado after latching onto De Murga’s through ball in injury time.