Mondo International F.C. and Manila Stars Football scored the biggest victories in Day 1 of the AIA 7’s Football League last Sunday at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig.
Mondo scored a 4-0 shutout of Liberia Lonestar, while the Manila Stars also won big over Manila Digger F.C., 5-1 in the tournament’s first season after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Season 4 champions Super Eagles, composed mainly of Nigerian nationals, opened their title-retention campaign with a 2-0 win over Dan Matsunaga’s Deportivo Matu.
Completing the winners for men’s Division 1 are Manhur, which beat Spoly F.C., 2-1 and Maharlika Manila F.C., which downed Middle Beast, 2-1.
Manhur’s Division 2 counterparts likewise tallied a decisive win by beating the Azzurri Coast Guard, 5-3.
The Manila Nomads edged out Alpha Red Wolf, 3-2, while MIN-U F.C. also scored a slim win over Tondo F.C., 1-0.
Maharlika Manila F.C.’s B team, however, couldn’t make it a sweep as they fell to Futbol Funatics, 2-3.
Meanwhile, lopsided results highlighted Division 3, with Mangtas FC scoring an 11-3 walloping of Yellow Subs FA.
The Maharlika Manila U23 side won their debut convincingly, 5-nil over Azzurri F.C., while Mati F.C. conquered The Pharaohs, 3-nil.
The only close affair was a thrilling 4-3 win by Omni Suicide Squad over JD F.C.
Season 5 of the premier seven-a-side football competition in the country saw a record-setting 28 men’s teams competing across three divisions.
Fourteen squads are also seeing action in the women’s side.
For Division 1 of the men’s tournament, teams play a single round robin elimination with the top seeds advancing to the knockout stages.
7’s competitions in Davao (May 7), Bacolod (May 8), and Pampanga (May 15) are also set to commence.
All photos from Roy Secretario
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