Osei goal lifts Kaya Iloilo over gritty Global Makati; Stallion Laguna zaps Mendiola

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Alfred Osei saved Kaya Iloilo from dropping points against a gritty Global Makati side with his go-ahead goal in a 1-0 win at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the nightcap of the PFL twinbill on Saturday.

With his club, the designated host, appearing to be on the verge of ending up in a stunning goalless draw, Osei got the ball off a scramble inside the box and slotted the ball past Nelson Gasic for the lone goal of the match in the 52nd minute.

The Osei goal somehow dampened Gasic's impressive performance, in which he was able to stop Kaya Iloilo's aggression and especially holding Jordan Mintah scoreless the entire match.

Iloilo remains perfect after three matches with nine points even as it remains the only club which has yet to concede a goal even if Coach Noel Marcaida bringing in Ace Villanueva to man the posts.

Meanwhile, in Biñan, Stallion Laguna zoomed to third place in the table with a 6-1 rout of Mendiola.

Chima Uzoka's hat trick sparked Stallion Laguna's second half breakaway from Mendiola, which had a huge chance of pulling off a stunner early on.

Nate Alquiros quickly found the net for Laguna just seconds into the match through a free kick, and Fitch Arboleda made it 2-0 six minutes later.

Laguna native Ash Flores shocked his home province's side after slotting in a 19th minute goal for Mendiola, while his teammates held Laguna for the rest of the first half.

However, Uzoka came alive in the second half, scoring in the 55th and the 82nd minutes to help Laguna pull away.

Arboleda added another goal in the 85th minute, while Uzoka finished off Mendiola with his third goal just a minute later.

Laguna is actually tied with Ceres Negros for second place on points with seven, although Negros holds a better goal difference than Laguna.

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