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| Abe Placito paced Stallion Laguna's offense in Finn McDaniel's return. Luis Fabregar |
MANILA––Stallion Laguna FC secured a 3–1 victory over Valenzuela PB-Mendiola FC on Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium to solidify its chances of making the PFL championship round.
After a cautious start from both sides, Stallion broke the deadlock early, with Abe Placito forcing the own goal in the 10th minute to give his side the advantage heading into halftime.
Placito attempted a cross that Peremowei Uguafakwu tried to clear out, but Uguafakwu sent it past his goalkeeper teammate, Kevin Mottaghan, and into their own goal instead.
Stallion tightened its grip in the second half, making key offensive adjustments and adding two more goals to pull away, despite resistance from Valenzuela’s defense.
Denzel Vasquez slotted a 62nd-minute goal to make it 2-0, and Placito got his earned goal in the 65th minute off a corner to virtually ice the match.
The win was further boosted by the return of team captain Finn McDaniel, who rejoined the squad after serving a two-match suspension.
The victory moved Stallion Laguna up to fifth place with 31 points, overtaking Aguilas-UMak and moving five points clear of Maharlika Taguig in the race for the Top 6.
Stallion Laguna has one match relatively at hand over Aguilas-UMak and Maharlika Taguig, which puts the Binan-based footballers in a more comfortable position to make the championship round and hopefully stay in the title race.
Stallion now shifts focus to its upcoming fixture against Manila Digger FC on Sunday night, also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Donatus Obi scored an 85-minute goal as a consolation for Valenzuela, which remained in 10th place with only four points to show.
