Kaya secures KO stage spot despite draw with New Radiant

Lagardère Sports/AFC
By Philip Maranan

MALÉ-- Kaya FC will march on to the next round of the AFC Cup despite their scoreless stalemate with New Radiant at the National Football Stadium in the the Maldivian capital late Tuesday evening Manila Time.

It was a historic achievement for Philippine club football, as the former Cup holders made it two for two for the UFL as reigning league titlists Ceres also secured their passage with a bang an hour ago after a masterful rout of Bangladeshi side Sheikh Jamal to win Group E.

With the suspension of Alfred Osei and OJ Porteria from their home loss to Kitchee a fortnight ago, Kaya's aspirations of a repeat of their last-gasp win last March 15 hit a huge snag.

The first half was a thrilling game as both sides played end to end. Both sides had a fair amount of chances at corners and set pieces but their efforts have left to be desired

Second half was also thrilling as the first half. Shirmar Felongco had a chance to break the deadlock three minutes into the restart but his shot is too high.

Despite not scoring for the second consecutive match, Kaya progressed to the knockout stages for the very first time due to Kitchee’s 4-0 thrashing over Balestier Khalsa later in the day.

The Hong Kong side topped Group F with 13 points, with the UFL outfit two points adrift and now set to face holders Johor Darul Ta'zim in the Round of 16 in two weeks time.

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