MANILA – Kaya Futbol Club–Iloilo settled for another draw in the 2020 Asian Football Confederation Cup group stage at the hands of PSM Makassar, 1-1, at the Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia last night.
A header by Eric Giganto from a pass by Arnel Amita in the 50th minute mark allowed the Iloilo City-based football club to salvage a point and stand as the leader of Group H so far with five points on a win and two draws.
The Ilonggo football team possessed an early advantage in the game after PSM Makassar went down to 10 men following a red card (player’s dismissal) on Dedi Gusmawan in the 11th minute. However, the team was not able to utilize the advantage as the Indonesians took a 1-0 lead on an inside hit by Osas Saha in the 22nd minute.
Kaya-Iloilo was unable to retaliate in the opening half until Giganto found the net via a lovely header from fellow Compostela Valley-native Amita’s assist to tie the match count at 1-1.
Opportunities to take the lead were plenty for the Ilonggo football club since then. Another Amita-Giganto connection and a curving cross by Takumi Uesato for a header by Barotac Nuevo’s Jovin Bedic all failed to find their ways inside the net.
Meanwhile, Ceres–Negros F.C will also go to war to defend its status as the leader of its group, facing Bali United F.C. of Indonesia in a close-door match at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium here tonight.
Ceres will head into the match at 7 p.m. on top of Group G with a win and a draw for four points. The team came from a 2-2 stalemate with Than Quang Ninh of Vietnam last month.
Bali United, on the other hand, will head into the match with three points after it bowed down, 2-1, to Svay Rieng of Cambodia the last time out. A win tonight would give the Indonesian football club the solo lead in the said group./PN
