YOKKAICHI, Japan — Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno channeled his inner Manny Pacquiao, delivering the lethal blows on Paquito as Sibol dismantled Kazakhstan, 2-0, to complete a flawless group-stage campaign in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports event of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday at Aichi Sky Expo here.
Coming off a commanding 14-minute victory in Game 1, the Philippines saved its most devastating punches for the second game, with Nepomuceno taking center stage on his feared Paquito.
Nepomuceno unleashed a scintillating performance on the hero patterned after the Filipino boxing icon and eight-division world champion as Sibol, which is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, shifted into another gear in Game 2.
“Masaya po, pero ’di pa rin kami magpapakampante kasi ’yung next namin na makakalaban is Indonesia. Kaya need talaga namin mas galingan pa,” said the Team Liquid PH star.
With the Lord on their side and the Philippines needing the final blows to put Kazakhstan away, Nepomuceno stepped into their base. He unleashed a furious flurry of punches, turning the Kazakhs into a punching bag en route to a stunning Savage that wiped out all five enemy heroes.
The onslaught paved the way for a lopsided 20-4 victory in just 11 minutes. Sibol built a staggering 13,000-gold lead to put the finishing touches on its sweep of Kazakhstan and punch its ticket to the quarterfinals.
Nepomuceno finished with 12 kills and five assists against just one death in Game 2, while Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz (Minotaur) had a clean 0-0-15 line.
The star jungler also took charge in Game 1 with four kills and five assists against one death on Nolan.
Sibol — which also has support from Smart, Cignal, TV5, and Arena Social — first swept Jordan, 2-0. It then followed the same script against Kazakhstan to rule Group C with a perfect 2-0 record.
The Philippines now looks towards a quarterfinal showdown with arch rival Indonesia on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Sibol’s Identity V squad bounced back from back-to-back losses to take down Indonesia, 2-1, and advance to the quarterfinals. The Filipinos dropped Game 1, 3-5, but managed to regain their composure to salvage a 5-3, 7-2 win in the next two games.
Sibol finished third in Pool A and will take on Pool B top seed Malaysia in the elimination round.
