KAYA FC-Iloilo stayed on top of Group B in the ongoing Copa Paulino Alcantara following its defeat of JPV Marikina FC, 1-0, in their clash on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Alfred Osei delivered the winning blow for Kaya to hand his team the full three points to improve to 2-0-0 with six points in the inaugural season of the cup competition.
The match started tight but eventually Kaya got to dictate the tempo of the contest in the opening half which finished with a goalless tie.
In the second half, both teams tried to hold sway and had it nip-and-tuck.
Mr. Osei though would step up big for Kaya in the 75th minute when scored what turned out to be the marginal goal off a free kick.
JPV tried to rally back after but Kaya’s defense and goalkeeper Ace Villanueva’s work would not allow the Marikina-based team any headway.
“It was a really tough match. I would say JPV played an attacking-oriented game. I think we played well throughout 90 minutes, it’s just that we couldn’t get our finishing in the final third. We were able to control the midfield, get to the penetration area, but for the team to win games, we need to get shots on goal. We had shots, but we only had two or three on target. That’s something we have to work on,” said Kaya head coach Noel Marcaida after the game.
With the win, Kaya extended its dominance over JPV for 2018, beating the latter for six consecutive times to date. But more importantly, it gave Kaya a good shot at securing the top spot in Group B with a win on Sunday, Sept. 23, against Global Cebu FC.
In the Copa Paulino Alcantara, the top two teams in the two groupings at the end of classification play advance to the crossover semifinals.
Heading into weekend action, Kaya leads Group B followed by JPV (1-0-1) with three points and Global (1-0-2) with three points.
In Group A, Stallion Laguna FC (1-0-1) has three points, Davao Aguilas Bellmare FC (1-0-0) with three points, and Ceres Negros FC (1-0-2) with three points. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
