Kaya, Davao seal Copa Paulino finals showdown

KAYA FC- Iloilo escaped Stallion Laguna FC, 3- 2, while Davao Aguilas Bellmare FC drubbed JPV Marikina FC, 6- 1, on Sunday to arrange a championship match in the 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara and stay on the road to the Asian Football Confederation ( AFC) Cup.

Robert Lopez Mendy struck a hat-trick in front of the rowdy home crowd as the Lions outpaced the Stallions at the Iloilo Sports Complex.

“All the credit goes to the boys. We had the desire to win this game and to play in the Final. The objective now is the AFC [Cup],”said Man of the Match Mendy, who was also grateful to the fans.

“It’s great to play in front of this wonderful crowd. We hope they can join us in the final We really need the 12th man. We have more energy to fight, to win, to do whatever’s necessary with them there. With this help, we can achieve our objective,” he said.

Mendy launched a screamer to open up the scoring just four minutes into the game and quickly doubled the lead in the 15h minute with a header on Miguel Tanton’s well-placed cross.

But the visiting Stallion Laguna equalized in the first half, with Azkals standout Fitch Arboleda and Swiss striker Carlo Polli providing the goals.

Mendy hit the match- winner shortly after the restart as the prolific Senegalese scorer nodded in Tanton’s attempt that bounced off the crossbar.

The Lions turned to their defense all the way to fend off the pesky Stallions and eventually secure their seat in the cup competition final.

“With this win, the road to the AFC stays alive. I’m proud of our players. From the start of the game, we saw the intensity, the grit, and hunger to win the game,” said Kaya head coach Noel Marcaida.

In the other semifinal fixture, Kim Sungmin fired a double brace to lead Davao Aguilas Bellmare’s romp over JPV Marikina at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.

Korean forward Kim blasted a hat-trick in the second half on top of the opening goal, fueling the Aguilas’ flight to the final.

James Younghusband and Jason De Jong added a goal apiece in the blowout victory.

Davao and Iloilo will dispute the first Copa Paulino and a slot in next year’s AFC Cup on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial pitch.