Kaya FC–Iloilo Hold Off Air Force in Triumphant Home Return
Kaya FC–Iloilo 2-1 Philippine Air Force
Iloilo Sports Complex
22 September 2019 — Kaya FC–Iloilo survived a late scare from Philippine Air Force on Sunday afternoon to eke out a 2-1 win on their home return. The visitors had a potential equalizer disallowed in the final minute, as the match ended in a thrilling flurry in front of a lively crowd at the Iloilo Sports Complex.
Without the likes of Jordan Mintah, Alfred Osei, and Masanari Omura in the lineup, Kaya struggled to stamp their authority on the game despite holding majority of the possession. It didn’t help that goalkeeper Ace Villanueva was forced off half an hour into the contest after a collision with Air Force’s striker.
Iloilo looked destined to enter the break scoreless, but five minutes from the interval, Connor Tacagni pounced on a loose back pass and poked in the opener. The England-born Filipino then turned provider three minutes later, delivering a cross for Kenshiro Daniels to finish from close range. Air Force didn’t go quietly into the break though, with Alex Elnar firing in a rocket from way out to cut the lead in half.
After a wild finish to the first half, the second was equally dramatic. While most of the battle was played in midfield for the first twenty minutes after the restart, things turned up as the match’s end loomed. First, Daniels had a fantastic opportunity to ice the match in the 68th minute.
After breaking free on the left flank, Kenshiro manufactured room to fire, but instead, unsuccessfully tried to square the ball to a teammate. His pass ricocheted back into his feet, before he was subsequently brought down, but Daniels’ penalty appeal was waved away.
Immediately after, Air Force went down the other way and narrowly missed a header. Air Force piled on the pressure as the final whistle drew closer, and with a minute left in regulation, they thought they had their equalizer. From a corner kick, the deep delivery was thumped in at the back post. But while the players were celebrating, the assistant referee had his flag up, having witnessed an infraction in the lead up. With the goal disallowed, Kaya FC–Iloilo held on to the 2-1 win.
