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| Baboucarr Touray led the way for Manila Digger against Kasuka with a brace. Manila Digger FC |
MANILA—Led by Baboucarr Touray, Manila Digger pulled off a dominating start to its quest to make the Shopee Cup after drubbing Kasuka 5-1 in the first match of the two-leg affair on Friday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Touray opened the scoring for Manila Digger with a 26th-minute penalty, while Dylan De Bruycker converted a corner kick with a header just before halftime.
Leon Taylor tried to keep Kasuka in the match after scoring a 51st-minute goal to put the Brunei-based club on the board.
However, Saikou Ceesay reopened the scoring for Manila Digger in the 64th minute, and Touray completed his brace in the 69th minute.
Substitute Ansumana Gomez capped Manila Digger's dominance with the final goal of the match in the 85th minute from a tough angle.
The Leg 1 blowout put Manila Digger in a comfortable position to qualify for the Shopee Cup group stages.
However, the reigning PFL champion still needs to hold its ground as action shifts to Brunei for the rematch on Sept. 12.
