KAYA FC-Iloilo and United City FC (UCFC) ended their debut campaign in the AFC Champions League with a loss on July 11.
Kaya FC lost to V.League 1 champion Viettel FC, 1-0, after fighting most of the second half with just nine players at the Leo Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Viettel FC aggressively attacked Kaya FC and almost hit the opening goal with just six minutes in with an attempt by Brazilian striker Caique.
Kaya FC looked more comfortable in its rematch with Viettel FC. Kaya FC lost to Viettel FC 5-0 in its first meeting.
Eric Giganto almost broke the deadlock in the 19th minute after his strike, coming off a cross pass by Kenshiro Daniels, grazed the side netting.
Caique and Nguyen Trong Hoang kept attacking but failed to convert with Kaya FC’s impressive defense led by its goalkeeper Zach Banzon.
Kaya FC, however, suffered a huge blow after veteran defender Simone Rota was slapped with a red card for a foul on Nguyen in the 51st minute. Kaya FC was down with just nine players after Masanari Omura was also given a red card with a tackle on Nguyen.
Caique then converted the free kick just outside the box to give Viettel FC a 1-0 lead. Viettel FC held on to the lead until the final whistle.
Kaya FC ended its debut campaign in the AFC Champions League with no wins. But the Filipino club showed a lot of potential especially in the second half of the Group Stage, wherein it competitively fought against some of the best clubs in Asia.
UCFC, on the other hand, was crushed by Daegu FC, 4-0, at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
It was a competitive first half with both clubs standing toe-to-toe against each other.
Tsubasa Nishi, however, beat Hikaru Minegishi to give Daegu FC a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute.
The second half was a different story as the Korean side showed its superiority over the Filipino club.
Lee Keun-Ho scored in the 48th minute, Brazilian forward Edgar added another in the 58th minute and substitute Jung Chi-In finished UCFC off with a 73rd minute goal.
UCFC finished its AFC Champions League campaign four points from a win and draw both against Beijing FC.