Kaya-Iloilo has six points after two matches in Group B. Photo courtesy of the PFL.
Kaya-Iloilo is assured of the top spot in Group B of the Copa Paulino Alcantara after a dominant 6-0 victory over Mendiola FC 1991, Wednesday evening at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite.
Jovin Bedic grabbed a brace in the first half, opening the scoring in the 11th minute before tacking on another in the 35th. A Ryo Fujii goal in the 40th gave Kaya a 3-0 lead at the half.
Kenshiro Daniels (63'), Daizo Horikoshi (83'), and Carlyle Mitchell (91') all found the back of the net in the second half as Kaya secured its second win in as many games.
"The players are getting better game by game and we hope to keep our good form in the semifinals," said coach Yu Hoshide afterward.
According to the PFL, this was Kaya's biggest win since a 5-0 triumph over Air Force in the group stage of the 2019 Copa Paulino Alcantara.
The club is seeking to regain the cup, which it won in 2018.
Meanwhile, Stallion-Laguna spoiled the Copa Paulino Alcantara debut of Dynamic Herb Cebu, as Abou Sy fired them to a 1-0 win also on Wednesday night.
The Senegalese forward netted the opening goal in the 18th minute, but the rest of the game proved to be a chippy affair with Joaco Canas and Yannick Tuason both getting booked at the hour mark.
Already sitting on a yellow, Tuason was sent off in the 71st after a foul on Roberto Corsame Jr., forcing Stallion to play with 10 men for the remaining 20 minutes of the match.
"We were expecting this to be a tough game and the guys played really well. We managed to make adjustments to prevent Cebu from scoring. That's the most important thing to do right now, get past the first game and win it," coach Ernie Nierras said afterward.
With the result, Stallion-Laguna is assured of the top seed in Group A and will await the Group B runners-up -- either Mendiola or the Azkals Development Team.
Kaya FC, meanwhile, will play Cebu in the semifinals.