Fancied Iloilo bags semis slot in national U-19 football

SANTA BARBARA, Iloilo –Top favorite Iloilo crushed Masbate, 6-0, Sunday to clinch a semifinal slot in the Adidas national under-19 football tournament here.

Kinley Delgado knocked in three goals and Kim Lico added two as the hosts swept their twin assignments in Group A.

Negros Occidental and Dipolog boosted their respective semifinal bids in the tourney by scoring their second straight wins.

The Negrenses blanked NCR, 4-0, as Albert Caluyo and Floriano Pasilan scored two goals each while Dipolog routed Cotabato City, 7-0, as Reginald Jukes and Johnny Dalitan came through with three and two markers, respectively.

In the other games, Butuan toppled Rizal, 3-1, and Cebu bounced back from a heartbreaking opening-day loss to Laguna by toying with Legazpi-Albay, 13-0.

Arnie Pacinabo and Junard Aguilar starred for the Cebuanos with three goals each. Ivan Dimco, Julius Acre and Randel Cano contributed two markers each while Elizer Pacubas chipped in one to complete the scoring.

Jomar Tolin broke the ice in the 25th minute to give Rizal the lead, which it held for more than 40 minutes.

However, after Michell Gamutan tied the count in the 66th, Butuan’s Ronald Querubin and Jeremiah Clemente struck in succession to deal the Rizalians their second loss.

Rizal, NCR and Legazpi-Albay were eliminated from the week-long tourney organized by the Philippine Football Federation, hosted by Iloilo Football Association and sponsored by Adidas.

Elimination action ends today with four more games. It will be Negros Occidental against Dipolog, Iligan against Butuan, Zamboanga against Masbate and Laguna against Cagayan de Oro.