The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) congratulates Philippines Football League (PFL) club Manila Digger for making history after becoming the first Filipino professional club to reach a final four semifinals of an AFC club competition, defeating Indonesia’s Dewa United FC, 3–2 on aggregate, in the quarterfinals of the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League.
Manila Digger secured its historic semifinal berth after following up its 1–0 first-leg victory in Manila on March 5 with a hard-fought 2–2 draw in Banten, Indonesia, on March 12, surviving a late comeback from the hosts to advance.
This has been the deepest continental run by a Philippine pro club since the 2017 AFC Cup, when Ceres Negros reached the tournament’s inter-zonal semis after defeating Singapore’s Home United in the ASEAN zone finals.
PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez lauded Manila Digger’s historic milestone for Philippine football.
“This achievement by Manila Digger marks a significant step forward for Philippine professional football and shows that our clubs can compete and succeed on the continental stage,” Gutierrez said. “Their success will inspire continued investment, development, and belief in the potential of Filipino clubs in Asian competitions.”
Forward Pa Ousman Gai opened the scoring in the 35th minute when he chased down a long ball from center back Modou Joof, skillfully rounding Dewa goalkeeper Sonny Stevens before calmly finishing into an empty net to give the Filipino side a commanding two-goal aggregate advantage.
Manila Digger doubled its lead early in the second half when Joof rose highest to head home a well-delivered free kick from Kenji Nishioka in the 52nd minute.
Despite trailing, the Indonesian side fought back through decorated Jamaican defender Damion Lowe, who scored twice in the second half. Lowe first connected with Egy Maulana Vikri’s corner kick in the 66th minute before completing his brace in the 81st minute, slotting home the rebound after goalkeeper Omar Njie parried Vinicius Duarte’s initial shot.
With momentum on their side, Dewa United pushed aggressively for a decisive third goal that would have forced extra time. However, Manila Digger’s defense held firm, blocking two late attempts before surviving eight tense minutes of stoppage time in which the Indonesian side failed to convert two corner kicks.
Manila Digger head coach Kim Versales credited his team’s discipline and preparation for seeing out the match.
“It’s a good game for the fans. It’s a tough match,” Versales said. “It’s hard to play in the home field of the opponent, but we worked hard for this and we prepared for a long battle.”
Versales emphasized the importance of defensive structure during Dewa United’s late surge.
“We just reminded our boys to keep our structure and be disciplined, checking all the opponents inside our area. In the end, we survived the game. Sometimes you just need to stay disciplined on the defending side,” he added.
The coach also expressed his ambition to go further in the competition.
“We target to go to the finals. We want to be the first club in the Philippines that can win at the AFC. We want to give honor to our country.”
Goal scorer and Player of the Match Modou Joof echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the difficulty of playing on Indonesian soil.
“It was not an easy game,” Joof said. “Thank God we managed the pressure well. The second half was very hard for us, but we managed and drew the game 2–2.”
Joof praised the competitiveness of Indonesian clubs while highlighting Manila Digger’s resilience.
“Indonesia has strong clubs and it’s not easy to play against them. When they scored, we knew they would come all the way out to fight for the second goal. But we defended well and managed the game,” he added.
Manila Digger will next face PKR Svay Rieng of Cambodia in the two-legged semifinals scheduled for April 9 and 16. The two sides previously met during the group stage on November 1, 2025 in Phnom Penh, playing to a 2–2 draw, a result that helped Manila Digger advance to the knockout rounds.
(Photo from Manila Digger FC)
