The AFC Champions League Two began their festivities with the Philippine Team, Kaya Iloilo FC, playing against the Tampine Rovers FC of Singapore last night, September 18, at New Clark City at Tarlac, Philippines.
A Scoreless 45-minute 1st Half
This would be the first meeting between these teams in Group H.
Kaya came out aggressively, nearly drawing first blood in the 4th minute when Kenshiro Daniels unleashed a long-range attempt that forced goalkeeper and captain Syazwan Buhari into a fingertip save.
Tampines responded shortly after, with Koya Kazama testing Kaya keeper Alfredo Cortez with a quick strike off Glenn Kweh’s delivery in the 10th minute. Kaya survived another scare when Dylan Fox mistimed a chance at the far post from another Kazama cross.
Despite controlling possession, Tampines failed to make their advantage count before halftime, with Kazama’s wayward shot over the bar in the 39th minute summing up an uneventful opening 45 minutes.
Trent Buhagiar Powers Rovers to Disappoint the Filipino Home Crowd
The deadlock was broken almost instantly after the restart. In the 46th minute, Buhagiar reacted quickest to a rebound after Cortez had parried Seiga Sumi’s attempt, smashing the ball into the net to put Tampines ahead.
Six minutes later, Buhagiar turned provider. Bursting down the right, he whipped in a precise cross that found Yoshimoto, who calmly slotted home from close range to double their advantage.
Buhagiar then sealed the result in the 72nd minute. Picking up a sharp through-ball from Kazama, he raced down the left flank before curling a composed finish beyond a diving Cortez for his second of the evening.
The Philippine side struggled to mount a response, with Daniels, Jesus Melliza, Fitch Arboleda, and Mike Ott all sending efforts off target. Despite their attempts, Kaya failed to trouble Buhari again, leaving the home crowd disappointed as Tampines walked away with all three points.
FINAL SCORE: KAYA ILOILO 0 – 3 TAMPINE ROVERS
Up Next: Kaya Iloilo Prepares FC Pohang Steelers of South Korea
The journey just gets tougher in the AFC Champions League Two as the Kaya Ilolo FC now prepares for their next opponent, FC Pohang Steelers of South Korea.
Kaya versus Pohang will battle it out on October 2 at Steelyard in Pohang, South Korea.
Iloilo went down 0-1 in the Group H standings while the Steelers won their opening match against BG Panthum United of Thailand with the final score of 1-0.
Way back on August 20, Tampine Rovers also defeated a Philippine team, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC, in the ASEAN Shopee Cup, which also happened in front of a Filipino home crowd.
