Kaya FC-Iloilo put in a valiant effort, but were bested by BG Pathum United, losing 4-1 in Group F’s opening fixture in the AFC Champions League Group Stage.
The match started off according to plan. Kaya came out with a disciplined and compact defense, and looked well prepared to match the Thai champions. Aside from an early error that led to a shot that stung the gloves of Mike Casas, the Iloilo side’s resistance was resolute.
The home team, though, drew first blood at the 23-minute mark. A cross from the right side sailed just out of reach for Casas, resulting in a scramble in front of goal. BG’s Teerasil Dangda tried to blast it in, but Audie Menzi bravely blocked the shot with his face on the goal line. It only delayed the inevitable though, as the forward took advantage of Kaya’s inability to clear.
Coming out of the cooling break, BG struck once more and doubled their lead. A quick flowing move capped off by a perfect through ball allowed forward Diogo Luis Santo to burn Carlyle Mitchell with his speed, then beat a charging Casas one on one to give the Thai side a 2-0 lead at the break.
In an attempt to spark a comeback, Arnel Amita, Kenshiro Daniels, and Fitch Arboleda came on for Jovin Bedic, Mitchell, and Menzi, respectively. The players resurfaced with energy to start the second half, but disaster struck once again in the 49th minute. Deemed to have impeded a clear goal scoring opportunity, Simone Rota was sent off with a straight red card after getting entangled with BG’S Diogo just outside the box, leaving Kaya with ten men for the rest of the match. The Brazillian forward took the free kick himself, and made matters worse by sending it past an outstretched Casas into the bottom right corner.
With Kaya down a player in the backline, BG relentlessly attacked the flanks. At the hour mark, Diogo broke free once again on the right side and crossed the ball to Dangda, who headed it in for their fourth goal of the evening.
Jarvey Gayoso came on for his Kaya debut in the 65th minute, replacing Dylan De Bruycker. The fresh signing brought energy as soon as he came on, matching the rest of the squad who refused to fold. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Kaya grew into the match and started getting more of the ball.
Their efforts eventually bore fruit in the 82nd minute. From a throw-in, Marwin Angeles wriggled free from a sea of blue shirts to send a left-footed strike past the keeper for the first ever ACL goal for a Filipino club.
Kaya’s final substitution came in the 88th minute, with Eric Giganto coming in for Ryo Fujii. The boys continued to give it everything they had until the final whistle, but ultimately concluded their first ACL Group Stage outing in less than ideal fashion.
“I’m very proud of our side, our boys gave 100%. They worked very hard, particularly when we were down to ten men. They did everything we asked of them before the game,” Coach Graham Harvey said in the post-match press conference. “I think for us now, we need to make sure we get up, stand up, and go again. But I’m very proud of how the boys worked for the 90 minutes. All of our squad that came on, the five substitutes, I think they made a real impact in the game.”
“We were already trailing and we were still hoping to hang in the game, but then the red card came and made it even more difficult for us. Still, I’m so proud of our boys and so proud of our club,” he added. “Obviously, it’s not nice to lose and we’d rather not experience that for the next five games, but we’re also very glad to be here and learn from those experiences and make sure that we come back stronger.”
