Wild Night in Panaad Ends in Heartbreaking Loss for Kaya Makati

Saturday night’s match between Ceres Negros and Kaya Makati turned out to be one of the wildest games yet in the Philippines Football League. The Panaad crowd in Bacolod were treated to a whirlwind of emotions throughout the tense affair. But in the end, their home team took maximum points in a thrilling 3-2 victory.

“It was really a wild game,” said Kaya head coach Noel Marcaida. “We came here to get the three points. We’re disappointed. But for me, the important thing is, my players really did well. I said before the game, we needed to start strong and finish strong, and we did that.”

Three goals were scored between the two teams, in what was possibly the craziest opening sixteen minutes to a PFL match. In soaking wet conditions, Jordan Mintah got the ball rolling just three minutes in.

Robert Lopez Mendy did well to beat his man on the right flank before crossing it low for Mintah to tap in. The lead lasted only six minutes though.

From a diagonal ball on the right side, Janrick Soriano fell to Bienvenido Marañon’s nudge from behind, allowing the Spaniard to head the ball across goal and in. Seven minutes later, the home side took the lead.

From a low cross on the left flank, the ball deflected off Soriano and landed in the path of Fernando Rodriguez to smash in.

Immediately after the restart, Jovin Bedic teed up Mintah with a delightful ball, but the point blank header from the Ghanaian was well saved by Roland Mueller. A meaty challenge on Janrick Soriano then prompted a scuffle between both sides. It wouldn’t be the only time tempers flared in the contest.

Makati fired three attempts off target before the break, signaling the team’s intent to get back into the game. After half time, it didn’t take long for Kaya to draw level.

11 minutes into the second half, an unlikely goal scorer took advantage of a scramble in Negros’ box. Marwin Angeles’ cross was collected by the Ceres keeper, but he subsequently dropped the ball after a coming together with Mintah, allowing Alfred Osei to fire in and make it 2-2.

Pandemonium followed the equalizer, as Ceres Negros argued Mueller was struck on the head in the buildup. After 10 minutes and Risto Vidakovic’s (Ceres head coach) sending off, the game finally restarted. The atmosphere was expectedly even more tense.

With 12 minutes remaining, Jeffrey Christaens was sent off for a second bookable offense. With the home team down to ten men, it looked as if Kaya had the perfect platform to snatch a winner. But just a few moments after, Osei was called for a penalty after a Ceres player went down on a shoulder to shoulder collision. The resulting spot kick though, a soft chip, was saved well by Ref Cuaresma.

In the end, however, the home team wouldn’t be denied. Well into added time, Rodriguez received a ball deep inside Kaya’s box. With an opportunity to turn, he emphatically fired in what turned out to be the winner. Mintah had one last chance to salvage a point. But his point blank attempt was well saved by Mueller once again.

After the match, Ceres Negros lamented the officiating.

“First of all, we are very proud of our players because we played — especially today, but the whole season as well — against 11 players, plus the referees. This is no good for philippine football. If the federation don’t fix this problem, it’s impossible to improve football in he Philippines,” said Ceres assistant coach Pepe.

Marcaida, on the other hand, chose to focus on the possibility of facing the Bacolod powerhouse sometime during the Finals Series.

“You can see how the game played out. They really tried their best. They were creating lots of chances,” said the Makati head coach of his players. “We’re looking forward to our next game. You never know, we may have a chance again to play each other (Ceres Negros). It’s not the end of the world. We still have four more games [left in the regular season].”