Mahama Awal leads South China demolition job in Manila
Cameroonian grabs brace as Caroliners thrash Global 6-1 in AFC Cup opener
Speedy Cameroonian Mahama Awal ran riot as South China kicked off their AFC Cup campaign with a 6-1 thrashing of Philippine side Global in Manila on Wednesday night.
The man of the match tested his opponents repeatedly with his speed on the right before scoring twice in the second half and making two assists.
This was my first time in the AFC Cup and the guys helped me a lot to play well. But this is just the first game and we still have a long way to go
Australian striker Daniel McBreen also hit a double in the first period, his first goals since joining South China last month. Coupled with Lo Kong-wai's goal in the 39th minute, the Caroliners led 3-0 at half-time.
Captain Chan Wai-ho also scored from a free kick in the second half as South China toyed with the Cup novices, before Michael Jonsson grabbed a late consolation goal for Global.
"I won't say it was a perfect performance but was a very good result," said Awal, a last-minute call-up to fill South China's overseas player quotas following an injury to Sean Tse Ka-keung.
"This was my first time in the AFC Cup and the guys helped me a lot to play well. But this is just the first game and we still have a long way to go in the tournament. We have to continue to work hard in the next match."