Kaya wins 2nd straight; Ceres manages draw vs SG club

MANILA, Philippines – Kaya FC relied on the heroics of Anton Ugarte, who  scored two minutes entering the second half to help his team beat Balestier Khalsa of Singapore, 1-0, in front of hundreds of fans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium at the group stage of the 2016 Asian Football Federation Cup on Tuesday.

 

From the start, Kaya was dictating the pace of the match with former Azkals captain Aly Borromeo holding the fort for defense and OJ Porteria and Alfred Osei continuously leading the offense. There were anxious moments when the Philippine club missed some shots from close range.

 

Tensions were also in the match as both Ugarte and Tanton had some skirmishes with the Singaporean players, but cooler heads prevailed.

 

Over in Singapore at the Jalan Besar Stadium, forward Adrian Gallardo scored at the 88th minute, leading Ceres La Salle to a 1-1 draw against Tampines Rovers of Singapore.

 

Midfielder Muhammad Hafiz Bin Abu Sujad converted a goal during the 69th minute, even if he had incur a yellow card during the 56th minute. Somehow, the visiting Filipino club managed to stay in the game.

 

Kaya FC now holds a 2-0 record and leads Group F in the standings, while Ceres La Salle has a win and a draw for second place in Group E.