By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Ilonggo football fans, time to rejoice!
After a seven-month hiatus, Iloilo’s football team in the Philippines Football League (PFL), the Kaya FC-Iloilo, grabbed their first win in the PFL bubble after nipping the debuting Maharlika Manila, 1-0.
Kaya showed no rust as soon as the referee whistled for the match to start as they looked to pour it on in the opening half.
Several clean attempts were thrown by Marwin Angeles and Simone Rota but Maharlika’s star goalkeeper Henri Bandeken was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end.
However, after the 30th-minute mark in the first half, Kaya FC mainstay Jayson Panhay was able to find the back of the net and converted a short-stab goal to give them the lead going into the second half, 1-0.
The next half became a tightly-defensive battle between the two squads as Kaya FC’s goal attempts were all deflected and saved by Bandeken.
Maharlika failed to cash in on a goal for the rest of the match and saw themselves fall to a more-determined Iloilo team.
