SPORTS | April 30, 2018
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| Perspolise celebrating after beating Tondo FC and winning Neymar Jr.'s Five tournament in the Philippines (Image Source: INQUIRER.net) |
Perspolise made a surprising reckoning at the Philippine finals of Neymar
Jr.'s Five tournament held last April 14, 2018 at Bonifacio Global City in
Taguig and eventually shocked tournament favorites Tondo FC with a 4-0 lead
that propelled the unheralded team to represent the Philippines in the world
finals which is set to be held at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. in Praria
Grande, Brazil.
Neymar Jr.'s Five is the signature football tournament of the
world-renouned Brazilian forward. The tourney brings together players from all
corners of the globe to celebrate their shared love of football in a fast, technical
and fun competition. Each match has a ten-minute time limit and every team has no
goalkeeper. Once a team makes a goal, its opposition would lose a player. These
simple rules, in my case, are probably the most interesting among numerous
reasons why Five is a uniquely intriguing tournament.
Anyway, Perspolise and Tondo FC are among the 16 national teams that
competed in the national finals following a series of qualifying rounds held in
Manila and Cebu. Tondo FC is no stranger to the tournament since it won the
hearts of the audience in last year's Five tournament only to lose to National
in an intense finals battle, and it is considered a top favorite to win this
year.
On the other hand, Perspolise made its own mark in the qualifying stages
scoring the coveted top spot in its group. The team helmed by Mikee Carrion consists
of Louis Serge Kaole, Otuyemi Emmanuel, Junior Stephen Ngong Sam, John Paul
Canieso, Okoh Anthony Alechanu and team captain Hamed Hajimehdi who is to my
surprise a member of the Iranian international football team.
