Airmen now in the win column of the PFL; Kaya routs Mendiola
PHILIPPINE Air Force FC is no longer winless in the Philippines Football League after breaking through with a 3-2 victory over Global Cebu FC on Saturday at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna.
The lone team sans a win heading into last weekend’s PFL fixtures, the Airmen changed the landscape with a gutsy victory over struggling Global.
Also victorious last Saturday was Kaya FC-Iloilo, which routed Mendiola FC 1991, 5-0, in their match held at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
Air Force got first on the scoreboard care of Darl Pedroso in the 20th minute and then went up, 2-0, 10 minutes later with Mark Anthony Ferrer on the scoring end.
It was a lead it would maintain all the way to the break.
Global though was able to narrow the gap to 2-1 in the 51st minute when Jerry Barbaso found the bottom of the net.
The two teams went back and forth after, looking to advance their respective causes.
Rodolf Bebanco made it a 3-1 lead for the Airmen when he connected in the 90th minute.
Global made one last-ditch effort to salvage a win or a tie in added time but could only come to within a point, 3-2, on a Marvin Bricenio goal, handing the win to Air Force.
With the victory, Air Force improved to 1-1-8 and four points for the PFL season, good for sixth place while Global (1-0-6) dropped to last place with three points.
Kaya, meanwhile, won back-to-back games when it beat Mendiola convincingly, 5-0, at the weekend.
Jordan Mintah scored a hat trick with Connor Tacagni and Jayson Panhay scoring a goal each in the big win.
The win jacked up Kaya’s record to 7-1-1 with 22 points, tied with league-leader Ceres-Negros FC (7-1-0).
Mendiola (2-1-6), for its part, stayed at fifth spot with seven points, behind third-running Stallion Laguna FC (5-2-2) with 17 points and Green Archers United FC (4-2-4) with 14 points.
Stallion and GAU were to meet later yesterday in Biñan. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo