MANILA – Kaya Futbol Club-Iloilo pulled off a stunning 1-0 triumph over the Shanghai Port FC of China to advance to the group stage of the 2021 AFC Champions League on Wednesday night at the Leo Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Audie Menzi served as the difference-maker for Kaya FC as his first-half conversion was more than enough to send the Iloilo City-based football club to their first-ever AFC Champions League stint.
“To be able to last 90 minutes, everybody worked hard for their effort,” said Kaya-Iloilo head coach Graham Harvey. “It was an amazing achievement for everyone in the club.”
Kaya-Iloilo showed dominance early in the match with Ryo Fujii nearly surging the team ahead on the seventh minute, but his try hit the crossbar. Jovin Bedic got his chance five minutes later but was deflected by the defense.
Kaya-Iloilo stunned Shanghai’s defense at the 17th minute with Menzi connecting on a towering header from a corner kick to take a 1-0 advantage. Kaya FC received no response from the foe until Shanghai’s late attempt in the opening half but was easily saved by Kaya-Iloilo keeper Louie Casas.
However, the Iloilo-City-based football club got a taste of Shanghai’s physicality in the second half, with Daizo Horikoshi tackled by the defense. Carlyle Mitchell also fell from a hit by a Chinese player.
Also, Kenshiro Daniels was brought down by the defense in his goal attempt, resulting in a yellow card against the foe. Kaya-Iloilo’s Simone Rota was also booked later in the second half for a hard challenge on a Chinese player.
Shanghai Port became more aggressive in the final stretch of the match with multiple close-range attempts, but Casas calmly blocked the shots to preserve the win for Kaya-Iloilo.
With the victory, Kaya-Iloilo now joins Thailand’s BG Pathum United FC, South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai, and Vietnam’s Viettel in Group F, which will be played in Pathum Thani Stadium in Thanyaburi, Thailand.
“We are now on the biggest stage in Asia when we play some of the biggest clubs,” added Harvey. “The boys have already begun to focus on the next six games. We will celebrate and enjoy this win, but we’ll make sure to be focused for the next matches.”/PN
