JOYCE Onrubia came off the bench to score a last-gasp goal as Kaya-FC Iloilo came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC last Wednesday night and stay alive in Group C of the AFC Women’s Champions League at the BG Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
With the clock winding down and the Kaya-Iloilo booters facing elimination, Onrubia took Anicka Castaneda’s cross pass inside the box to slot in the equalizer in the fourth minute of added time for the team’s second point.
The draw was quite a relief for the charges of coach Lelet Dimzon, who trailed 0-1 at the break after Zahra Ghanbari converted a penalty kick in the 39th minute when Anna de Los Reyes took down Mona Hamoudi from behind inside the penalty area.
Melbourne City dumped Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars 3-0 in the other group up to remain on top with its second straight win, with Kaya-Iloilo running second with two points while Bham Khatoon and CAS were tied for third and fourth with a point each.
The Kaya-Iloilo booters take on Melbourne City in their last game tomorrow, with a win guaranteeing them a spot in the knockout quarterfinal stage.
Helping them is Australian Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso, the 2023 A-League Coach of the Year, who is familiar with the Melbourne City style after facing the squad when he was coach of Western United.
The national men’s football team will kick off its campaign against Thailand today, Friday, in the opener of the four-nation King’s Cup in Songhkhla, Thailand.
The winner will face the victor of the match between Tajikistan and Syria for the championship trophy on Monday.
