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| Dennis Villanueva dribbles while trying to get away from Jordan Mintah. PFL |
By Ivan Saldajeno
BINAN--Ceres Negros claimed the championship of the Copa Paulino Alcantara after beating erstwhile titleholder Kaya Iloilo, 2-1, in the final at the Binan Football Stadium on Saturday night.
A former Kaya Iloilo player won it for Ceres Negros as the club completed a domestic double having won the PFL title last month.
Robert Mendy broke the hearts of his former club as he struck the lone goal of the match in the 30th minute, converting on a short cross from James Younghusband after Mike Casas decided to go after him.
Tristan Robles then delivered the dagger in the 67th minute, recovering the ball after Kaya Iloilo's defense deflected Mendy's intended pass.
Kaya Iloilo still tried to mount a comeback as Kenshiro Daniels scored on an 85th minute goal to put his club on the board, but the team still fell short especially that they had four attempts prior to Daniels' goal just hitting the crossbar.
Ceres Negros has now won four cup titles, having won the 2013 and 2014 Smart PFF National Men's Club Championship titles and the 2014 UFL FA League Cup championship.
Kaya Iloilo, despite the defeat, will still keep its place in the AFC Cup as the club will enter the group phase as the PFL's second placer.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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