Midfielder Daniel Gadia made up for his absence in the previous game with a stunning late goal as Dynamic Herb Cebu Football Club (FC) turned back the Azkals Development Team (ADT), 2-1, last Saturday night to close in on leader Kaya FC Iloilo in the Philippines Football League at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Serving a suspension in the 1-1 draw against Stallion Laguna last week, Gadia scored the winning goal in the 70th minute as the Gentle Giants improved to 31 points, five points off Kaya, which has played one more game than Cebu.
A standout from University of the Philippines, Gadia is a fiery midfield player who makes a bigger impact with his passing. Against ADT, he took on a different role as the scorer.
“I was challenged by our captain Jason [Cordova] to score a goal, so I just tried,” Gadia said. “There have been a lot of scenarios in the game that I can take a shot in front of goal but I ended up passing. I didn’t want to miss that chance when I had it.”
Thrilling ending
Cebu took the lead in the 20th minute with Rintaro Hama firing from close range after Leaford Allen’s effort bounced off the crossbar.
But ADT levelled just moments into the second half with Oliver Bias teeing up youth standout Gavin Muens inside the area.
That goal set up a thrilling finish with Gadia, who was sent off in the 3-2 win over Kaya in Iloilo three weeks ago, producing a smart finish at the near post to beat goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad and sending Cebu to a ninth victory of the season.
Bias had one last opportunity to tie the game late on, but his free kick went inches wide, allowing Cebu to escape with the victory. ADT remained in fourth spot with 21 points on six wins, three draws and five defeats.