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| Kaya Iloilo is all smiles after keeping the PFL title. Ivan Saldajeno |
MANILA—In a fitting manner, "Player no. 18" scored Kaya Iloilo's most important goal of the PFL season in the 18th minute of his last match with the club.
Jarvey Gayoso clinched Kaya Iloilo's second consecutive PFL title with the lone goal of their Sunday night showdown against Davao Aguilas at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Gayoso earned himself the deciding penalty after Dodong Villareal fouled him inside the penalty box while trying to get a better angle for his shot from the left side.
Gayoso then struck the spot kick to the top right corner, sending Dini Ouattara, the league's current top goalkeeper, in the wrong direction.
However, Kaya Iloilo needed to dodge two bullets late into the match.
Tesu Mun had his 77th-minute attempt from long range only hitting the top post.
Davao's best chance came in the 81st minute when Ibrahima Ndour was tasked to take the penalty after Mar Diano fouled Uriel Dalapo inside the box.
However, Walid Birrou showed his top-notch reflexes by correctly guessing which Ndour was targeting and saved the penalty.
Birrou also saved Daisuke Sato's free-kick just before the stoppage time was announced as Davao never got a decent shot during the extended play.
However, it was fitting that Gayoso, who now has 23 goals, got his flowers in his farewell match through the title-clinching penalty as a rumor swirls that he is heading to Phnom Penh Crown.
With the win, Kaya Iloilo now has 37 points after 13 matches, enough to clinch the title from Dynamic Herb Cebu as the former holds a four-point lead with only a match on Saturday night against Loyola to spare.
Cebu's 2-1 loss to Stallion Laguna the night before opened a golden opportunity for Kaya Iloilo to clinch the title outright on Sunday.
Davao, on the other hand, remained stuck at 29 points, but they have a chance to finish what has been an inspiring season for them on Sunday night against Air Force.
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