MANILA – Davao Aguilas will face Kaya Iloilo in the finals of the 2018 Philippines Football League Copa Paulino Alcantara this coming Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Aguilas clinched the final round slot after a massive 6-1 victory over JPV Marikina in the knockout semifinal match on Sunday night in the same venue.
Kim Sung Min fired 4 goals while Phil Younghusband and Jason de Jong added a conversion each for Aguilas, which entered the PFL finals for the first time in franchise history.
After struggling with shots early in the match, Aguilas got back-to-back hits from Kim and Younghusband in the 34th and 40th minutes for a 2-0 halftime score.
The Davao team continued to pounce on the defense of JPV in the second half, with de Jong connecting in the 50th minute before Kim snatched his second and third goal for a 5-0 advantage.
JPV pulled one back with Aaron Altiche converting in the 72nd minute but Aguilas was quick to respond with Kim netting his fourth goal in the match to seal the victory.
“Football is a team game so I don’t think we have an edge on them because JPV does not have their keeper,” said Aguilas head coach Leigh Manson. “Now we will turn our attention to Kaya.”
The winner of Kaya-Aguilas encounter will not only win the inaugural edition of the Copa Paulino Alcantara but will also head to the 2019 AFC Cup./PN
