Meralco XI nips Kaya for 3rd place

MeralcoManila went on an early rampage and made rival Kaya-Makati beg for its chances in the second half to claim a 3-1 victory Friday night and secure third place in the Philippines Football League at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Spanish defender Joaco Canas delivered the opener while national team midfielder Curt Dizon fired a brace that gave the Sparks a 3-0 lead inside the first 24 minutes on their way to ending the season on a high note following a heartbreaking semifinal loss to Global-Cebu last week.

In securing a podium finish at the end of the league’s inaugural season, Meralco could gain a berth to next year’s AFC Cup if the winner of last night’s PFL final between bitter foes Ceres-Negros and GlobalCebu in Bacolod City to qualify for the Champions League.

The PFL winner needs to survive a series of qualifying legs in order to reach the Champions League, otherwise it would join the league runner-up in the second-tier AFC Cup.

Canas put the Sparks on the scoreboard with a header off Simon Greatwich’s cross four minutes after the opening kickoff.

Dizon struck his first goal in the 16th, scoring off Kaya goalkeeper Ref Cuaresma from the left flank before completing a brace eight minutes later with a curling free kick from the edge of the box.

Kaya tried to mount a rally when Jovin Bedic scored on a header near the hour mark. Robert Lopez Mendy nearly cut the deficit to a single goal but his close-range shot hit the goalpost before it was cleared by Meralco keeper Ace Villanueva.