Jhan Jhan Melliza’s late strike was not enough to save Kaya-Iloilo from a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat against Indonesia’s Borneo Samarinda in the 2024–25 Shopee Cup at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali.
Melliza, a UAAP gold medalist with Far Eastern University, thought he had secured Kaya’s first point of the campaign with a clinical left-footed strike in the 82nd minute.
However, Borneo dashed the Philippine side’s hopes with a stoppage-time winner.
Indonesian midfielder Dwiky Hardiansyah capitalized on a precise assist from teammate Mariano Peralta, scoring in the 91st minute to keep Borneo’s semifinal hopes alive.
Earlier, Peralta had opened the scoring for the home side in the 28th minute with a composed finish.
The Argentinian forward’s evening took a sour turn when he was sent off in the 94th minute for a reckless foul on Kaya’s Sherwin Basindanan.
With the loss, Kaya remains rooted at the bottom of Group B, winless with zero points and a minus-10 goal difference, and is already eliminated from semifinal contention.
Meanwhile, Borneo climbed to fourth place with six points, trailing second-placed Buriram United by just one point and holding a slightly better goal difference at minus-1.
Kaya will conclude its campaign on February 6 with a home match against Singapore’s Lion City Sailors at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
On the same day, Borneo will face Group B leaders Cong An Hanoi at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium, with a chance to secure a spot in the next round.
