OJ helps Kaya nail dream AFC triumph

IT WAS an ending OJ Porteria and the rest of Kaya could only dream of.

On a night when the club made history with its first home game in an international competition, the prodigious Porteria produced a moment of magic in second half stoppage time to lift the UFL side to its maiden AFC Cup victory at the expense of Maldives’ side New Radiant, 1-0, Tuesday night at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

It was a game of few clear-cut chances, but when the space opened up for Porteria near the edge of the area in the fourth minute of injury time, he made no mistake, curling home off a lovely cross from Junior Muñoz as Kaya nailed its first victory in Group F of the competition.

Porteria fought back tears as he ran all the way to the Kaya bench to celebrate the game-winning goal.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Porteria who dedicated the goal to parents Elmer and Jocelyn who flew all the way from Washington D.C. to watch the match.

Ceres-La Salle completed a historic night for Filipino clubs as the Bacolod side blanked Bangladesh’s Sheikh Jamal, 2-0, in Dhaka for its first win in Group E.

Spanish striker Adrian Gallardo scored the two goals four minutes apart in the first half, before Michael Casas helped preserve the win with a string of impressive saves in the second half.

Ceres moved to second spot in the group with four points, behind Tampines Rovers, which it will face on Tuesday at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Kaya dominated possession for long periods, but with the visitors opting for a more conservative approach, the Filipino side struggled to create opportunities.

“It all boils down to resiliency of the team,” said Kaya skipper Aly Borromeo, who anchored a back line that hardly put a foot wrong.