Marikina wins over Cebu in historic PFL season opener

It was the new signings who shone for Marikina as the club trounced weary Cebu, which opted to bring in most of its second stringers (Pixabay photo)

MANILA — It was worth the wait.

JPV Marikina scored a win in its first game literally at home, the Marikina Sports Center in Marikina, beating Global Cebu, 2-1, in the inaugural match of the second season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) on Saturday night.

It was the new signings who shone for Marikina as the club trounced weary Cebu, which opted to bring in most of its second stringers to give the team that played Bali in the AFC Cup on Tuesday night some rest.

Keigo Moriyasu drew first blood for Marikina in the 13th minute as he struck a goal from outside the box.

Ryuki Kozawa then blew past the Cebu backline to beat Jun Badelic in the 75th minute for the 2-0 count.

Dominic Del Rosario put Cebu on the board with an 89th-minute free kick, but the club failed to find the equalizer in the end.
“I thank the fans for coming to watch the game,” said Coach Dan Padernal after the match. “It’s a historic game for Marikina that we win in our first home match here.”