Two first half goals set the tone for Kaya FC–Makati as they dispatched of Ilocos United, 4-2, at the Quirino Stadium. Jordan Mintah, who had a hand in all four of Kaya's goals, was named Man of the Match in the club’s second win in the Philippines Football League.
“First of all, I gave thanks to almighty God for giving me the strength to finish the game. I give thanks to my teammates, because without them I could not get this Man of the Match, and the coaches as well. We work so hard in training. We wanted to win this game. We didn’t want our long journey to be wasted. We put in all our effort. It’s not just me who should be Man of the Match, the whole team should be Man of the Match,” Mintah said after the contest.
“They are a very good side, but we prepared well. I felt so excited playing against them. They have a lot of experienced players as well. They are very good. I was so happy to play with them,” he added.
The Makati club took control of possession right from the get-go, disallowing Ilocos from imposing control in front of their home support. After a few threatening runs, against the United’s backline, it was Mintah who was pulled back in the box, leading to the first of three penalties in the game. Adam Reed confidently stepped up and fired into the bottom left corner to open the scoring in the 23rd minute. Shortly after, Jordan sent in the cross that set up his strike partner, Robert Lopez Mendy, for the outside-foot finish.
After the break, Chima Uzoka pulled one back for the home side. But the two-goal cushion was reestablished quickly by Jovin Bedic’s short stab, which was put on a plate by Mintah. Jordan went on to get on the scoresheet himself before the match was through. Given room to operate inside the box, the striker toyed with Ilocos’ defense before being bundled over by goalkeeper Baba Sampana. The resulting penalty was fired into the top left corner, prompting Mintah’s signature salute celebration.
Jordan’s night had one blemish, however, as he was adjudged to have fouled an Ilocos player inside the box in the game’s final minute. He received a yellow card for the challenge, which means he will be suspended for Kaya’s next match against Stallion Laguna. Uzoka doubled his total with the resulting penalty.
“You have to expect that the home team will fight until the last whistle of the game. They will do their best to protect their home ground,” said Makati head coach Noel Marcaida. “It was a tough game. But for us, we took advantage of the two goals in the first 20 minutes of the first half.”
The result keeps Kaya in third spot in the standings, with seven points from four matches (2-1-1). Meanwhile, Ilocos suffered their second defeat of the campaign, as they remain with a solitary point after three outings (0-1-2).
Kaya FC–Makati now immediately switches their focus to Sunday, when they face Stallion Laguna in the University of Makati. The match will be the club’s third home game of the season, and concludes a run of four games in the span of 15 days.
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