Manila, Philippines - Kaya FC relied on the heroics of Alu Kigbu and Joshua Beloya as it turned back a stubborn Nomads Auction Manila, 2-1, to snatch the solo lead from idle Global FC in the First Division of the United Football League at the University of Makati field in Makati.
Kigbu opened it up with a 40th minute goal. He almost scored another one early in the second half but his right-footed shot was parried by the Nomads goalie. Beloya was quick to convert the rebound into Kaya’s deciding goal.
David Denison was rewarded a penalty shot and scored on the spot to give Nomads its first goal that cut its deficit to one.
It turned out to be its last hurrah as Kaya held fort to preserve the win that catapulted it from No. 2 to No. 1 with 36 points on 11 wins and three draws against two losses. Kaya overtook Global, which has 35 points on 11 wins and two deadlocks against two defeats.
Nomads absorbed its seventh setback against four wins and the same number of deadlocks for 16 points, good for fifth.
Earlier, Army Fritz & Macziol FC survived a furious fightback by Navy Red Juice FC to escape with a 3-2 win that gave it a share of seventh spot with last year’s League champion Air Force Phoenix on identical 13 points.
Romano Vestal and Nestorio Margarse Jr. gave the Armymen a 2-0 lead at halftime and then hiked their lead to 3-0 following a 52nd minute rocket by Meliton Pelayo.
But the Navymen fought their way back and scored a pair of goals in a hurry, one by Arnold Carino on the 61st and another by Peter John Fadrigalan on the 72nd to trim their deficit to just the smallest of leads.