IT was the most fitting end Ilonggo football fans could get.

THERE couldn’t have been a more fitting end. Jovin Bedic, a son of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, tapping in the winner off an assist from Robert Lopez Mendy to clinch the first ever Copa Paulino Alcantara. The only goal in an almost 120-minute contest, the strike secured Kaya FC–Iloilo’s place in next year’s AFC Cup.

Kaya FC-Iloilo is the first champion of Copa Paulino Alcantara, which was named after a Filipino-Spanish football star who was born in Iloilo, thanks to the coolheaded Jovin Bedic, a son of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo.

Kaya-FC was the underdog in the Copa finals against Davao Aguilas but it did not stop the new champions from snatching the inaugural crown via 1-0 victory at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Oct. 27, 2018.

The win also assured Kaya FC-Iloilo a berth in the 2019 AFC Cup.

It took 118 minutes to settle the game, which Bedic did when he scored off a nifty pass from Robert Lopez Mendy, the tournament’s leading scorer.

According to a report on foxsports.ph, Kaya’s win completes the Philippines’ representatives for the AFC club tournaments for 2019 with the other club being Ceres-Negros FC who are about to embark on the 2019 AFC Champions League playoffs after winning the Philippines Football League.

Davao Aguilas and Kaya Iloilo toiled in a final that saw few chances, with both teams being denied by the crossbar on at least two occasions.

The tipping point most probably have been the sending off of Davao Aguilas centre-back Wesley Dos Santos in the 98th minute due to a second bookable offence.

In the end, Kaya got the sole goal of the match two minutes before the end of the second half of extra time when Bedic converted off a Lopez Mendy assist.

The match could have gone either way with both teams unrelenting, but a clinical moment is what all it took for the winners to be determined.

It is a fact that the Azkals’ all-time top goalscorer, Phil Younghusband has not yet been able to represent the Philippines at an AFC club competition.

But after another agonizing loss, Phil would have to wait another year and hope for a good run either in the PFL season or the league cup.

FIGHTING SPIRIT

Kaya came into the match as slight underdogs, but they were able to rise to the occasion, going toe to toe against Davao Aguilas until local hero, Jovin Bedic, scored the winning goal.

The result makes the Iloilo-based squad as the first ever Copa Paulino Alcantara Champions and they will be marching to the 2019 AFC Cup.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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