Gentle Giants takes PFL’s no. 2 spot; eyes top spot in competition
Arda Ćinkir of Cebu Football Club poses for the camera after being named man of the match. | Photo from the PFL Facebook Page
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Cebu Football Club (CFC) Gentle Giants dislodged United City FC at the No. 2 spot in the team standings of the Philippines Football League (PFL) after manhandling Mendiola FC 1991, 7-1, in last Friday’s match at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
The victory towed the Gentle Giants into the No. 2 spot with 11 points from three wins, two draws, and one defeat. They are behind Kaya FC Iloilo with 15 points, while United City FC is at the No. 3 spot with 10 points.
The Gentle Giants are poised to take the No. 1 spot as they’re scheduled to have a rematch against Mendiola on September 24 and Maharlika Manila on September 25 to wrap up the first round of the PFL. They defeated Maharlika Manila,5-1, last September 10, 2022.
The Gentle Giants showcased dominance on all fronts against the No. 6 ranked Mendiola FC after Turkish ace striker Arda Ćinkir scored a hat trick or four goals in the fifth, 21st, 23rd and 36th minutes.
Jason Cordova, Chima Uzoka, and Ren Okuda scored goals in the 18th, 34th, and 50th minutes, respectively.
Junior Ngong Sam prevented a shut-out game for Mendiola after scoring his team’s lone goal in the 67th minute.
During the match, Daniel Gadia passed the ball to Ćinkir, who was sprinting towards the goal for a header, giving CFC its first goal.
Mert Altinöz’s free-kick led to Jason Cordova’s header giving CFC its second goal, 2-0, in the 18th minute.
Ćinkir put CFC ahead, 4-0, after scoring two consecutive goals in the 23rd and 21st minutes.
Chima Ozuka made it 5-0 from a 35th-minute goal through his strike just outside the penalty box.
Not satisfied by his spectacular performance, Ćinkir scored his fourth goal from Borlongan’s accurate cross pass in the 36th minute as the Gentle Giants sealed the first half with a lopsided, 6-0 lead.
Japanese Ren Okuda tallied his first goal with CFC in the 50th minute from Turkish Mert Altinöz, giving CFC a 7-0 lead.
Junior Ngong Sam then scored his 67th-minute goal for Mendiola.
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