United City suffered another brutal defeat in Group I of the AFC Champions League, this time at the hands of Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale, 8-0, Friday, July 2 at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
It looked like the Philippines Football League titleholders were poised to put up a good fight through the first half-hour until Kaoru Mitoma struck the opener in the 33rd minute before Ryota Oshima made it 2-0 for Kawasaki just before halftime.
The floodgates opened the second half as United City’s defense had no answers for last year’s JLeague 1 winners by unleashing six goals on their way to staying unbeaten in the group stage of Asia’s premier club competition.
Kento Tachibanada accounted for half of the goals Kawasaki scored in the second half, Mitoma completed a brace while Leandro Damlao and Yasuto Wakizaka were the other goalscorers.
Kawasaki improved to nine points after winning all of its first three games to hold top spot in Group I.
UCFC’s latest loss came three days after being pummeled 7-0 by South Korean K-League side Daegu and almost a week after being held to a 1-1 draw by a young Beijing Guoan squad.
United City enters the halfway mark of the group stage at the bottom of Group I with just one polnt through three matches.
The Filipino club is actually on level terms with Beijing in the table but has an inferior goal difference no thanks to the lopsided defeats.
It is actually the first of two consecutive meetings between two clubs, with the return match set for Monday, July 5 at the same venue.