Mendiola’s freefall this season continued, as Manila Digger clawed their way back to claim a 3-2 victory in capping off another Rizal Memorial tripleheader last Saturday night.
The league newcomers had a quickfire response against the reeling veterans, as they overturned an early deficit to secure their third win in a row, propelling them into the top five.
Hiromasa Ishikawa put Mendiola ahead in the 17th minute after capping off his solo run with a neatly-placed left-footed effort past Yuya Kuriyama, but Eric Giganto duly equalized from a right-footed curler over John Betanio five minutes later off a threaded ball from Sangcheon Jeon.
Digger showed their aggressiveness by taking seven more shots than Mendiola, with 16 in total, ten of which found the target, while enjoying the majority of the ball for the entire match.
As such, their persistence paid off in the second minute of first-half injury time, when Earl Piñero gave the Diggers a well-deserved lead by hitting a tightly-angled shot past Betanio on the right wing after being picked out by Darwin Regala on a counterattack.
Right at the hour mark, the former FEU stalwart turned provider as Digger then doubled their advantage when he dropped a simple ball to Daiki Jahana, who made it easy with his low shot on his left foot.
Frustration boiled over for Mendiola as they were already on a two-match losing skid, with Hamed Hajimehdi receiving a booking alongside Darwin Regala soon after Daiki’s strike, with the pair involved in a scrap in which the former NU product clipped the Iranian veteran off the ball.
Ishikawa then gave Mendiola hope just a minute before the 90th, heading home off a Nicolai Abalos cross inside the box, but the Bedan outfit could not find an equalizer, condemning them to their third straight defeat, which saw them go from table-toppers on the opening day to a mid-table side by the end of the third week.
Mendiola: Betanio (GK), Polinag (Sison 55’), Tañamor, Reña, Abalos, Hamed © (Banaynal 70’), Rasonable (Mapula 81’), Ladines, Nitta (Pormento 70’), Ghamlouche (See 55’), Ishikawa
Manila Digger: Kuriyama (GK), Barsanilla, SC Jeon (Jatta 77’), Ugwu (Su Diao 21’), Giganto, Regala, Ebarle (Ashley 79’), Piñero (Dalam 88’), Jahana (Manlapas 88’), MK Shin ©, Marfiga
