FANCIED Kaya-Iloilo FC was pushed to the limit by a scrappy and upset-conscious Davao Aguilas squad Saturday night before escaping with a spine-tingling 4-3 decision on penalties to retain the Copa Paulino Alcantara crown before an appreciative crowd at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
With both teams neither giving an inch, they finished deadlocked at 1-1 after 90 minutes plus in regulation, including injury time, and two 15-minute extra periods, leading to the penalty shootout.
Unfazed by the powerhouse squad they were up against, the Davao Aguilas had earlier staked themselves to a 1-0 lead at the break through striker Yannick Noah’s nifty header from a long pass that caught two Kaya defenders napping inside the goal box in the third minute of injury time.
Diminutive Kaya-Iloilo midfielder Arnel Amita evened things up early in the second half, seeing a sliver of light through their foes’ defense for a 10-yard volley in the 65th minute.
The rest was touch-and-go, with Kaya-Iloilo’s Robert Lopez-Mendy’s potential winning goal on a follow-up during a goalmouth scramble with four minutes ruled offside.
With the penalty shootout tied at 3-3, Azkals midfielder Justin Baas sealed the deal on a retake after his first shot was saved by Davao Aguilas goalkeeper Dini Tato Ouattara, who was caught by the sharp-eyed assistant referee moving off his line before the shot was made.
“I don’t know, everything happened so fast. I missed the penalty so I felt disappointed but then I was told there was a retake so I finally made it. This is truly amazing,” said a relieved Baas, who could have winded up as the goat had he muffed the kick.
“Penalty shootouts are like the flip of a coin, it can easily even things up. Winning it on penalties was a relief and the result of working hard for so many months studying your opponents,” noted Kaya-Iloilo goalie Quincy Kammeraad, who made two stops earlier during the shootout.
Kaya-Iloilo FC coach Colum Curtis felt just as relieved that his charges were able to keep the Copa Alcantara Cup for the third time in a row, acknowledging that “when the decisions kept going against us, I thought it was not going to be our night.
