‘Visayas Clasico’: Kaya FC Iloilo blanks Cebu FC Gentle Giants
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Kaya FC-Iloilo imposed its will on Cebu Football Club (CFC) Gentle Giants, cruising to a 3-0 victory in their “Visayas Clasico” showdown in the Philippines Football League (PFL) 2025-2026 season on Sunday, September 28, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Cebu FC, still reeling from a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Công An Hà Nội FC in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup in Vietnam, absorbed another tough defeat — this time at home.
READ: AFF Shopee Cup: Cebu FC falls to late goal against Công An Hà Nội FC
The win lifted Kaya to second place in the standings with nine points from three straight victories, keeping their unbeaten record intact. Cebu, meanwhile, dropped to seventh with three points after suffering its first league loss following an opening-day win.
It was also a fitting revenge for Kaya after losing to Cebu in their “Final Four” match last April also in Manila.
Jhan Melliza opened the scoring spree for Kaya in the 25th minute with a perfectly curled free kick that sailed over Cebu’s defensive wall and beyond the reach of goalkeeper Rami Jeridi into the top-right corner.
READ: Cebu FC stuns Kaya Iloilo, advances to AFF Shopee Cup finals
Cebu tried to regroup but a costly throw-in error shortly after the goal allowed Kaya to regain possession.
Melliza orchestrated a quick set piece, flicking a back-heeled pass to Audie Menzi, who then found a sprinting Mike Ott. Jeridi managed to parry Ott’s first attempt, but the Kaya midfielder pounced on the rebound to slot home their second goal in the 35th minute.
Kaya went into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 cushion.
READ: Concerns over ‘alarming’ demands on Barcelona star Lamine Yamal
The Iloilo side sealed the win late in the match when Brandon Zambrano unleashed a long-range left-footed strike in the 87th minute to make it 3-0.
Cebu struggled all night, managing only six shots on target compared to Kaya’s 11, while also conceding most of the possession.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
