VICTORIAS CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The visiting Australian futsal national team won over local teams here in the 12-Under opening matches of the Australian Futsal Association Philippine Invitational Tour that kicked off in this mill city’s Arts and Cultural Center yesterday, 20 November 2024.
Striker Troy Barnes, 11, anchored the offensive of the team from Down Under coached by Philippine football legend and Mr Football Elmer “Lacknet” Bedia.
“I give it to my boys, they passed the ball beautifully,” tour manager Byron Escobar told DNX as he pointed out that the wins were anchored on moving the ball around as key to their offense.
“We just passed the ball around and saw to it that everyone touches wherever it ends, whether in a goal or not,” he added.
Barnes hit the net from the right wing through an opposite pass in the early minutes of the match with the locals of San Carlos City as the Oz booters found their tempo.
The Aussies mostly frustrated the attacks of the locals who all played for the first time against a foreign team.
The Oz booters controlled the ball with push passes and ran a triangle method with Barnes often in the strong side that made him score five of nine goals in the first half against San Carlos.
In the second game, only Bacolod booter Lize Ibanez eked out a goal for Vista Alegre Elementary School in Bacolod City with a long shot that hit the net midway into the game. “Coach told me that I should just aim for the goal and kick straight,” she told DNX in the vernacular.
Lize admitted it was hard to play against the Aussies who were “maru (short for marunong or expert in the vernacular) and kicked the ball well.” Troy, who had been playimg soccer since he was three, had kind words for the Negrense players whom he described as “kind” and showed “good sportsmanship.”
