UFL: Kaya regains lead, trims Pasargad

NATIONAL team skipper Aly Borromeo marked his return to the starting eleven with a goal that helped Kaya hold off Pasargad, 2-1, Thursday night and regain the United Football League lead at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Making his first start since October when he sustained the knee injury that sidelined him for seven months, Borromeo was a rock at the backline aside from scoring the opening goal from the penalty area in the 20th minute.

French midfielder Adrian Semblat doubled the advantage with a left-footed effort 10 minutes later, before Kaya withstood Pasargad’s pressure in the second half to regain top spot with 39 points.

Iranian striker Mohamed Ohadi’s 51st minute strike set the stage for a nervy finish in the second half.

Kaya will now go into its final match of the season against Stallion on Tuesday with a legitimate chance of winning the UFL title with a win.

Global, a point behind Kaya, can climb back to top spot with a win over Air Force Phoenix today.

Loyola Meralco also has an outside chance of winning the title but the Sparks need to win their remaining matches against Nomads and Global and hope that Kaya also loses to Stallion.

“We got the win and that’s the more important thing,” said Borromeo.  “We were overconfident in the second half. We tried to hold the ball, but ended up making mistakes.”

Earlier, Stallion sealed a Top 4 finish in its first season in the league after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Army Fritz and Macziol.

Lee Joo-young, Byeong Jun-yoon and Ruben Doctora all found the back of the net inside the first 22 minutes as Stallion jacked up its tally to 28 points with two games remaining.

Kaya missed the services of defender Jason Sabio and midfielder Masa Omura, who has effectively deputized at centerback in recent matches, because of suspension due to accumulated yellow cards, opening the door for Borromeo to get the start.