Despite facing key player suspensions from past disciplinary sanctions, Davao Aguilas FC made light work of steamrolling an out-of-form Don Bosco Garelli United FC to a commanding 5-0 victory, inspired by a man-of-the-match performance from local prospect Kart Talaroc at a rainy Rizal Memorial Stadium on May 25, Saturday evening.
The 23-year-old winger provided the spark for this drubbing as he scored two goals—a left-footed rocket and another right-footed curler—and provided two assists, feeding Ibrahima N’dour and Yusuke Unoki, showcasing his quality to lead the front while mostly playing in an unfamiliar attacking midfield position.
“Nagawa ko naman nang maayos yung part ko as a midfielder. Naglalaro talaga ako sa wing pero inilipat ako sa midfield kasi kulang ang players sa mid namin,” said a soft-spoken Talaroc in his post-match interview.
The absence of OJ Clarino and captain Daisuke Sato after their red cards in the past EMBO derby fixture gave other players the chance to step up to the plate. Center-back Reynald Villareal was given the captain’s armband while coach Aber Ruzgal rotated his squad to give starts to left-back Romel Catarinin and center-back Yohann Fofana, forming a defense that only conceded one shot on target and zero goals from the Greywolves.
As expected, Aguilas dominated the pitch from start to finish, although with subpar finishing initially as Ibrahima N’dour missed an open goal howler in the 14th minute but redeemed himself in the 17th after tapping in a low cross from Yusuke Unoki to open the scoring.
The DB Garrelli 4-4-2 tried to gridlock the Davao Aguilas attack, forcing offsides calls on Marvin Bricenio and Yusuke Unoki, but right back Richard Talaroc had other ideas as he dispossessed Garreli’s Aljun Baclason on the wing and initiated the counterattack, leading to a peach of a cross from Kart Talaroc reaching Ibrahima N’dour for a free header to double Davao’s lead just before halftime.
With the rain intensifying in the second half, Davao opened the scoring floodgates with the Kart Talaroc show in full swing. In the 74th minute, Jhomary Sapal hit the crossbar after volleying in a first-time effort before the 23-year-old starboy got the rebound and slammed the ball into the roof of the net, freezing the opposing goalkeeper, BJ Dagdag, to make it 3-0.
Aguilas remained relentless in attack as they scored again a minute later, with Kart involved again as his simple through ball to Yusuke Unoki beat the Garelli offside trap for an easy finish for Davao’s fourth goal. Davao closed the show in the 84th minute after Kart Talaroc received a clearance from Romel Catarinin and found himself unmarked in the middle to produce a right-footed curler near the box to make it 5-0, closing out one of the best individual performances for the youngster so far.
The result temporarily propels DAFC to second place with 19 points and a game in hand below league leaders Stallion Laguna FC. They will continue their championship conquests next week against midtable Loyola FC while DB Garelli United falls to 13th after suffering their fifth consecutive loss and will face the gentle giants of Dynamic Herb Cebu FC in Cebu next week.
