FIGHTING for dear life, Manila All-Japan bucked huge odds as it clobbered a depleted Dolphins United, 20-0, in an abandoned match on Tuesday night at the Emperador Stadium to barge in the quarterfinals of the Football Alliance League of the United Football League.
Needing a 15-goal win to advance to the knockout stage, the team loaded with Japanese players pounced on the nine-man Dolphins to reach their objective.
MAJ thus finished the group stage in fourth spot with seven points in six matches, just ahead of Socceroo on goal difference, to book the last quarterfinal spot in Group B.
Chihiro Noda fired seven goals, Yugo Kobayashi added five, and Ryohei Kamon chipped in three goals to lead the rout.
The Division 2 side scored 14 goals in the first half, then added six within the first 17 minutes of the second half, before the match was called in the 62nd minute when the Dolphins went down to six men due to injuries. A minimum of seven players is required for a team to play.
It was the biggest output and most lopsided win by a team since Loyola Meralco annihilated guest team Blue Guards, 33-0, in the UFL Cup last year.
Pachanga-Diliman completed the quarterfinal cast in Group A with a 3-1 win over Philippine Army, while group leader Ceres-La Salle stretched its winning streak to five games with a 3-0 win over Green Archers United.
In another Group B match, Laos blanked Forza, 2-0, to keep third spot.
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