JB BORLONGAN’S rocket from the edge of the box proved to be the winner as the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 1-0, in their opening fixture on Sunday, February 4, at the Rizal Memorial Football Field in Manila. The loss puts the Blue Eagles at a 0-0-1 record with a -1 goal difference in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Football tournament.
The Fighting Maroons were dominant throughout the match, controlling the midfield and flanks, from where they generated most of their chances. From kickoff, the Blue Eagles were stifled by a very compact defense. It appeared as though Ateneo’s three most central players, Julian Roxas, Enzo Ceniza, and Nino Herrera, were specifically targeted by their UP counterparts, who did well to keep the game congested in the middle of the park.
Under pressure from the get-go, the Blue Eagles were forced to play a more direct style. Without an option to build play up properly from the back and through midfield, the Ateneo backline were forced to hit long balls to their forwards in an attempt to keep possession in the opposition half.
An attempt by Jarvey Gayoso in the 3rd minute was a sign that this strategy might just nick Ateneo a goal. Sam Lim won the ball back in midfield and sent Gayoso through on goal, who sliced his lob off the mark. UP rose in stature as the half wore on, dispatching wingers JB Borlongan and Fidel Tacardon to go on the assault. The two wide players cut into dangerous areas and dovetailed well with Kintaro Miyagi and Kyle Magdato on the edge of the box, operating in the gaps left between the Ateneo midfield and defense.
The Blue Eagles had to rely on instinctive defending from Justin Dy and Ged Poe to keep the match scoreless. In the 20th minute, Dy had to time a last-ditch lunge to poke the ball away from Tacardon, who had intercepted his pass just a few seconds before. UP nearly scored again a few minutes before halftime after a slick interchange in the area was stuffed by the onrushing Poe and keeper AJ Arcilla.
Ateneo’s frustration continued in the second half as UP ramped up the pressure. Minutes after play resumed, Arcilla was forced to push out a Clarino free-kick that was aimed nicely for the bottom corner. In the 52nd minute, a frantic sequence forced Ateneo’s backline into some more last-ditch heroics. Miyagi snuck between Dy and Rocha in the box and would have scored if not for Arcilla sharply stepping out to smother him. The resulting rebound played into Tacardon’s path just above the penalty spot, but Rocha was on call to parry the drilled attempt off the line.
The match hit boiling point in the 55th minute after Gayoso clipped Tacardon just past the halfway line. Lim and the UP winger got into a scuffle, tempers flared, and multiple players needed to be separated right in front of both team’s benches. In the aftermath, Lim, who had picked up a booking in the first half, was sent off and the Blue Eagles were left a man-down with momentum against them.
JB Borlongan, who had been difficult to contain throughout the match, finally broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. On the left flank outside the box, the winger deftly cushioned a lofted pass away from Ateneo’s Mike Castillo before powering a shot out of Arcilla’s reach and into the top corner. Borlongan nearly doubled his and UP’s tally in the 82nd minute with a first time-volley from Tacardon’s cross, but Arcilla parried his strike to thwart his effort.
Starting off a title-defending campaign with a setback is a tough pill to swallow for the Blue Eagles at the moment, though the battle will be a lasting reminder of the mental fortitude and consistency that brand a deserving champion.
“Medyo okay naman ‘yung chances namin sa first half, especially the first fifty minutes (Our chances were adequate in the first 50 minutes),” Head Coach Jaypee Merida explained. “Pero after we lost one player, it was very frustrating. Hindi nag-step up ‘yung substitutes at hindi nag-iba ang laro (After we lost one player, it was frustrating. The substitutes did not step up and the match did not change).”
William Grierson was not cleared to play due to skin allergies, while Carlitos Mathay missed the match due to an arm fracture. Both players are expected to return to action by next week according to Merida.
Ateneo will next test their mettle against the National University (NU) Bulldogs on Sunday, February 11, 9:00 AM, at the Rizal Memorial Football Field in Manila.
Starting XIs:
Ateneo: Arcilla (GK); Dy, Rocha (c), G. Poe, Castillo; Ceniza, Roxas (c), Herrera, Lim; Haosen, Gayoso
UP: Yared (GK); Abraham, Bonoan, Ju. Clarino, Jo. Clarino; Lapas, Saavedra, Sanciangco; Tarcardon, Borlongan, Miyagi
Substitutions: Baña for Haosen, Nacional for Herrera, Gaudiel for Ceniza, Alilam for Castillo
Red Card: Lim (two yellows)
Yellow Card: Gayoso
