Mintah hattrick carries Kaya

Ghanaian striker Jordan Mintah fired a hattrick as Kaya Iloilo demolished Lao Toyota, 5-1, on Tuesday to stay in contention for a place in the knockout round of the AFC Cup at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Mintah accounted for one of the two goals in the first half, before finding the back of the net twice late as Kaya rebounded from a 1-2 defeat to Indonesian side PSM Makassar in Matchday 4.

Kaya improved to eight points from four matches, but progression to the knockout stage is still out of the Iloilo-based side’s hands as two wins by PSM can ensure the Indonesians entry to the next round as Group H winners.

Aside from the top teams in the three Asean zone groups, the best second-placed team will also advance to the next round.

Former San Beda standout Connor Tacagni and ex-national team player Yannick Tuason were also on target for coach Noel Marcaida’s side, which travels to Singapore to face Home United in what could be a do-or-die match for the Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Ceres-Negros tries to seal its entry to the knockout stage as it clashes with Shan United in Group G on Wednesday at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.