Top two clear out

The Global Premier Football League’s top two sides, Union Buenos Aires and London City FC, now sit seven points clear at the top of the standings.

The two sides, separated by the width and (almost) length of the Atlantic, can only be separated by goal difference on the table, having traded blows at the top all campaign. With just under half the season left to play, they look set to fight it out for the inaugural crown. Unless, of course, disaster strikes…

ROUND 21 ROUND-UP

Union were, rather surprisingly, made to work for the points by visiting Shanghai Pearl. But, with Ricco Cocci back in harness, and a plethora of well performed superstars to support his goal scoring expertise, the Argentinians always had just a bit too much in hand.

Cocci as picked up where he left off before his recent injury lay off, scoring twice more to, ultimately, be the difference. Shanghai’s goals came, once again, from Albert-Jan Stroek and Diogo Esteves.

With nineteen goals, Cocci leads the Golden Boot race. Two behind him is Mark Ives, who scored the winner just before half as London City overcame a resilient New York Capitals outfit. Both games between these two sides have been close and, with Ellis Eaton in inspired form in the Capitals’ goal, City weren’t quite able to kill the game off with a second goal.

Esportivo Rio were held to a goalless draw at Johannesburg Rush after putting in an uncharacteristically drab performance. Johannesburg’s recent home form has been excellent and another point has them inching further away from the bottom two. Esportivo lost Americo Mendonca to a red card not long before the break.

Olympia Munchen edged Ciudad de Madrid in a game that saw all the goals come before the break. Goals from Remco Vreman and Andre Peters had the Germans two up inside half an hour, before Ibrahim Benzema halved their lead before the break.

LA Icons and Harbour City both kept clean sheets as they secured wins that kept them on an upward trajectory. Escobar Cardoso and Bjorn Goudier rattled home the goals that saw LA beat bottom side, Toronto Athletic, while Bartolomeo Aguirre‘s drive from distance just before the hour helped Harbour City to their tenth win of the season, at home to Emirates United.

Eternal Roma and Paris Metro were both held to home draws by lower placed opposition. Tommasso Baresi cancelled out Marina Bay‘s early opener, a bullet header from Kay Kraus, in a nervy display at the Olympico, while Metro’s Tim Ludwig grabbed a brace, a feat that was matched by Mark Evans from their opponents, Hong Kong Traders.

Also at the double was CF Azteca‘s Milagros Freixa, who scored a goal in each half to help defeat al-Qāhirah Stars. The win bolted the Mexicans up to twelve, level on points with three other teams, including Constantinople FC, who struck late to grab a point in the match of the round.

Constantinople took a two goal lead, through Aral Akkas and Ralf Ziegler, before Tokyo-Yokohama United‘s front two of Richard Casey and Alessandro da Siqueira hit back with a goal each to level the game.

Casey scored what looked to be the winner four minutes from time, only to see Akkas hit back with a second of his own three minutes into added time.

AL-QAHIRAH STARS

CF AZTECA

CIUDAD DE MADRID

CONSTANTINOPLE FC

ESPORTIVO RIO

ETERNAL ROMA

HARBOUR CITY

HONG KONG TRADERS

LA ICONS

LONDON CITY FC

MARINA BAY FLYERS

NEW YORK CAPITALS

PARIS METROPOLE

SHANGHAI PEARL

TOKYO YOKOHAMA UNITED

TORONTO ATHLETIC