Maharlika Taguig kicked off the Sunday PFL triple-header with a routine victory over the hapless bottom-feeders of Manila Montet.
Smarting from their mid-week defeat to cross-town rivals One Taguig, the boys in black took only 5 minutes to profit from the typical defensive miscue by the Montet backline. Victor Nkoa gratefully took the ball from a bobbled backpass by Marole Bungay and blasted it past the acclaimed Lord MJ Jones to take the lead. Maharlika doubled their lead in the 14th minute, with Christian Jamon nodding in from a corner conceded by Montet after a Maharlika counter-attack. The game was effectively over at this point, blighted by multiple cooling breaks brought on by the tail end of the hot summer season clashing with the humidity brought on by the start of the rainy season.
Montet still could not come up with any consistently coherent attacking moves. Junior Mailly continued his recent hot streak, scoring for the third game in a row in the 36th minute from another corner, stabbing the ball low after a goalmouth scramble. At this point, the 3 points were all but sewn up as the Montet boys cut dispirited figures on the pitch. The halftime whistle blew with no other entries on the scoresheet, as the Maharlikans took a 3-0 lead into the break.
The second half saw Maharlika ease up on the offensive pressure, presumably saving their legs for the end-of-season run-in, but they added two more goals within the second 45 minutes. Gael Basana made it 4-0 in the 58th minute, with another poor passing move by the boys in white exploited by Maharlika, leaving the Englishman in acres of space at the top of the box to blast it into the net.
The intensity ratcheted down a lot after that goal, with both teams just wanting to see the full-time whistle. Montet found a late burst of energy, but a Soufiane Bouazzaoui interception in midfield ended up putting the ball on a tee for Lance del Rosario to get on the scoresheet in the 85th minute, completing the 5-0 rout.
Maharlika next play Loyola FC on Sunday afternoon, while Montet play 2nd-bottom Garelli United in the Saturday opener.
Psychology graduate that’s been down the football rabbit hole since a kiddie camp in 1996. Once made a tryout for Manila Jeepney and a weekend consists of hand-wringing about Manchester United and Stallion Laguna. Can be found spouting opinions on X @FullyVaxxedJ
