Kaya FC-Iloilo bounces back from Cebu loss, crushes Mendiola FC

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Dynamic Herb Cebu FC, Kaya FC-Iloilo responded with a masterful performance against Mendiola FC 1991, 7-0, in the 2022 Philippines Football League (PFL).

Robert Lopez Mendy only needed two minutes to draw first blood for Kaya FC after a sweet pass from Ryo Fujii in the bottom left corner of the pitch.

Kaya FC continued their aggression on the offensive end and executed a well-designed scheme that freed up Audie Menzi for a clear header that doubled their lead during the 21^st minute.

Despite defensive adjustments for Mendiola FC in the midfield in hopes to restore order on the pitch, Kaya FC was just on a roll after finding the back of the net for their third goal of the match courtesy of Daizo Horikoshi.

Mendiola started to deploy quick double teams as a sign of desperation but it helped silence Kaya FC for the rest of the first half.

The bleeding didn’t stop for Mendiola during the first two minutes of the second half after an immediate conversion from Eric Giganto off a scramble for possession inside the box.

Mendy then capped off his scoring party with a brace in the 63^rd minute after dribbling past three Mendiola defenders on the left side of the penalty box.

Jhan Melliza scored the last goal for Kaya FC with six minutes remaining in the match after playing a tremendous two-man game with Horikoshi.

With the win, Kaya FC is back as the league’s no. 1 team with 21 points built from a 7-2 win-loss record.

Meanwhile, the Dynamic Herb squad got the same points as Kaya FC but stayed in the no. 2 spot due to their three draws in the final tally.