AFC Cup 2022: Bali United FC Match Preview Match 3 — Kaya FC-Iloilo have one last chance to make a statement against the Indonesian League Champs.

Kaya FC-Iloilo FC (PHI) vs Bali United FC (IDN)
Monday, June 30, 2022 | 5:00 PM Kickoff
Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali

Bali, Indonesia — In the wake of a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Malaysia’s Kedah Darul Aman FC, Kaya FC-Iloilo have one chance left to leave a mark on this year’s AFC Cup Group Stage. A mighty challenge awaits, as Iloilo take on the hosts Bali United FC on their home turf, in front of 18,000 supporters in Tridatu Red. Kickoff is at 5:00 PM, live on Eleven Sports.

Monday’s result was disappointing on several levels, as the lopsided scoreline didn’t reflect how close the contest was for majority of the game, and that Kaya are now out of the running to qualify for the Knockout Stage.

The boys were able to hold off Kedah’s advances throughout the first half, even with defensive anchor Carlyle Mitchell needing to be subbed out due to injury in the 20th minute. However, much like in the prior match against Visakha FC, things fell apart for Iloilo in the second half.

The trailing Kaya opened up to desperately try and chase the game, but Kedah took full advantage of the openings in behind—peppering the already undermanned backline with counters to run the score up in the match’s dying minutes.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get any points and we’re really disappointed with the last two games,” said Iloilo’s Head Coach Yu Hoshide. “We’ll try to get three points before we go back to Manila, but we’ll have to show what we learned from these two games tomorrow.”

“From a player’s perspective, we are also really disappointed that we haven’t gotten any points,” Iloilo midfielder and Philippines U23 captain Oskari Kekkonen weighed in. “But we owe it to the club, to the supporters to fight ‘til the last minute and try to get three points in the last match.”

Bali United will be looking for some redemption as well, coming off of a shocking result of their own in a 5-2 loss to Visakha FC. The Indonesian powerhouse will be gunning for a statement win to keep their qualification hopes alive, which means Kaya will need to be on point all the more.

“In both games, our first halves were better than our second halves,” Coach Hoshide stated. “In the second half, if we continue what we are doing in the first half, we’ll have a tighter game and have a better chance to win tomorrow.”

“Bali United is a big club with great supporters and great success in their league, so of course for the players we’re really, really motivated to play against the host team in front of a big crowd. We will fight for those three points.” affirmed Kekkonen.

One last dance in Bali, one last chance for the boys to give it all they got. All of Kaya FC–Iloilo’s AFC Cup matches will be streamed live on ElevenSports.com.