It continues to be a humbling experience for Philippine clubs United City FC and Kaya FC in their AFC Champions League debut.

J1 League champion Kawasaki Frontale served United City an 8-0 thrashing on Friday, July 2 at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The Group I leader maintained its pristine record with 9 points and tallied a total of 18 goals after three games. United City stands with one point at the bottom after its opening game draw against Beijing Guoan FC.

Kento Tachibanada inflicted the most damage with a second-half hat-trick that came in the 56th, 65th, and 70th minute.

Kaoru Mitoma, who opened the scoreline in the 34th minute, recorded a brace after winning the one-on-one battle with United City keeper Anthony Pinthus in the 82nd minute.

Ryota Ohshima doubled the lead in the 42nd minute with a right-footed strike from the edge of the box that sailed over the United City defense.

Brazilian forward Leandro Damiao then widened the gap in the 50th minute when he caught Pinthus out of line to net a close-range strike.

Yasuto Wakizaka capped off the goal fest as he rebounded Pinthus’ deflection during added time (90’+2).

The Filipinos, though, showcased a valiant stand to keep the Japan club’s attack at bay and was able to create chances of firing three shots in the game by the second half.

Over at Leo Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Kaya FC absorbed a 3-0 loss against Ulsan Hyundai FC.

The K League 1 runners-up solidified their hold of the top spot with 9 points while Kaya remains winless at the bottom of Group F.

Korean footballer Oh Se-hun scored a brace in the first half with a 12th clinical finish and 40th minute header off a free kick.

Georgian midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili then gets on the scoreline in the 48th minute after Ulsan broke down the Kaya defense for him to slot the goal in.

But the Iloilo-based club also proved threatening as Louis Casas made a big close-range save in the 13th minute and Kenshiro Daniels had big chances in the attacking third that threatened the South Korean club’s defense.

United City will face Kawasaki in a rematch on Monday, July 5, 10 pm, Philippine time while Kaya is looking to snap its losing streak against Ulsan once again on Monday, 6 pm, Philippine time. – Rappler.com