Kaya comes within one point of league leader after win over Davao
KAYA FC-Makati is finishing strong in the classification phase of the Philippines Football League (PFL), now within one point of the league leader after fashioning out a 2-0 victory over Davao Aguilas FC on Wednesday in Tagum City.
Securing the full three points, Kaya ( 14- 5-7) improved to 47 points, just a rung below FC Meralco Manila (14-6-3) which has 48.
Jordan Mintah and Miguel Tanton provided the goals for visiting Kaya, which played in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex.
The game started very competitively before Mr. Mintah averted a goalless draw in the opening half with a goal in the 45th minute.
Mr. Tanton then added a second goal for Kaya in the 62nd minute off a free kick.
From the edge of the box, he curled the free kick perfectly into the top corner en route to doubling their lead.
Davao, boosted by recent acquisitions like Phil and James Younghusband, Matthew Hartmann, Simone Rota, and Angel Guirado, tried to regroup and charge back but its efforts were to no available as Kaya hung on tight for the win.
For Kaya coach Noel Marcaida, they take special pride in the win, considering how Davao, while its record of 2-8-11 and 14 points may not show it, has vastly improved with its recent signings.
“It was a tough game. It’s a completely new dynamic for Davao Aguilas,” the coach said after their game.
“You can see from the start of the game that they have the height, which we lack. But we were able to manage that disadvantage by staying sharp in set pieces. I think the difference of the game is my players really switched on and stayed sharp when it comes to set pieces defensively and offensively. That’s why we got two important goals from set pieces,” Mr. Marcaida added.
With two games left in its schedule in the regular season, Mr. Marcaida said they are satisfied with where they are at and looking forward to possibly playing in the next round of the first season of the newly created national football league.
“We’re very satisfied. From the start to finish, you can see the intensity of the players, it was really high. The work rate was also really high. When we lost possession, we were trying to regain it very quickly. In transition, we had chances where we were able to break even though they are a solid defensive unit. We’re very satisfied. We were able to get the mission of taking the three points,” said Mr. Marcaida.
Kaya next plays Meralco in a clash of the top two teams on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium at 7 p.m. —