Stallion Laguna clinched the third-place finish in the Copa Paulino Alcantara after beating Cebu Football Club on penalties, 5-4, during their bronze medal match at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite on Friday night.
With both clubs failing to score during regulation, the match quickly went to penalties to decide the outcome, and Daniel Gadia, who played for Stallion Laguna last year in the Philippines Football League (PFL), sort of earned the distinction of being the first player to score for Cebu in a PFL-sanctioned event after drilling the first spot-kick of the shootout.
Gabriel Silva, however, quickly equalized after sending the ball to the right side of the goal.
Ricki Sendra put Cebu back up with a strong shot that Kenneth James could not stop, but Abe Placito, who came in as a substitute in regulation, responded with his own power shot, also to the left side to tie the shootout again.
Charles Davao put Cebu back up with a finesse shot to the left only for Kim Sung-Min to take the goal back with one of his own.
The turning point came in the fourth round of penalties when James got it right that Papu Corsame would try one on the left side as well and saved the ball from going in.
Warren Bedia then stunned Ace Villanueva by sending his penalty attempt to the right side when Villanueva was looking to go left to make it 4-3 Stallion Laguna.
Joaco Canas tried to keep Cebu in the shootout by scoring his own penalty, but Finn McDaniel iced the match in style when his penalty hit the crossbar first before going in to clinch it for Stallion Laguna.
This is Stallion Laguna’s best Cup finish in a league-sanctioned tournament since ruling the 2012 UFL Cup.
Source: Philippines News Agency
