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| Manila Digger is the new king of the PFL. Ivan Saldajeno |
MANILA—Manila Digger clinched the PFL championship after holding One Taguig to a 1-1 draw in the de facto title match on a stormy Saturday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Only needing at least a stalemate to secure the silverware, Manila Digger did just enough to do so, although the club still had some anxious moments, not just because of One Taguig's gallant stand but also due to thunderstorms that forced a momentary postponement to the match, all the more that Modou Manneh, the club's main stabilizer, did not suit up for the match.
Modou Joof shot what eventually became the title decider for Manila Digger in the 28th minute when he converted a Charles Dabao long throw into a back kick goal that already went inside the goal line before it was cleared out by One Taguig captain Daisuke Sato.
Isaac Agmeyang gave One Taguig a lifeline when he scored the equalizer right at the restart, as Assan Badije could not clear the ball away from the goalmouth.
With the rainfall too heavy plus the prevalent lightning strikes, the officials decided to stop the match for around for over 30 minutes before eventually deciding to play through the bad weather.
One Taguig had a golden opportunity to steal the win at the death with Mark Hartmann delivering a beautifully taken corner kick to Patrick Reichelt to set up the potential dagger.
Stephen Halm quickly poked the ball after Reichelt's header pass, but Omar Nije saved the ball right before the referee called it a night at around 11:30 p.m.
"I have confidence in my teammates because I know what they can do. Even without me, they can win," said Manneh, who was named the MVP for the season.
Tensions still flared at the pitch and even at the stands as One Taguig was devastated by the result, which counts as a loss for them since they can only win the championship with a strict victory.
Missing out on the 2025 championship to Kaya Iloilo by just a single point, Manila Digger finally won it all in only its second full PFL season by beating One Taguig in the title race by two points, 60-58.
"It's a collective effort by the players, coaching staff, and the management. Mahirap na mapunta sa ganito," said head coach Kim Versales, whose club also clinched a spot in the AFC Champions League 2 qualifiers.
In the other final day matches, Aguilas-UMak held Stallion Laguna to a 2-2 draw to finish fifth, while Dynamic Herb Cebu capped Kaya Iloilo's underwhelming campaign with a 1-0 win, although Kaya Iloilo finished third on goal difference.
