THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) drops their tight match against the Philippine Air Force Football Club (PAF), 0-1, and gets knocked out of the Ang Liga Season 18 Division 1 Finals. The semifinals match was held earlier today at the Far Eastern University Diliman (FEU) Football Field in Quezon City.
In a rematch of their first elimination game, the Blue and White sought to repeat their previous success from the get-go. Multiple chances were created by Ateneo in just the first few minutes of play through their pressure on the offensive end.
Striker Kofi Agyei manned the offense for the first few minutes, where an opportunity in the fifth minute nearly gave the Blue Eagles the advantage. This momentum extended to key defensive plays in the first half, as the AMFT denied the Airmen multiple chances to get the ball past their territory.
Despite the AMFT opening up opportunities to score throughout the first 45 minutes, PAF goalkeeper Zaldy Abraham had an excellent showing for the Airmen. Abraham put on a show as he managed to reject all attempts from the Ateneo side to end the half in a draw, 0-0.
Kicking off the second half, the Air Force dominated on their side of the field when striker Jed Delariate came away with their first goal off an excellent cross at the 56th minute, 1-0.
Following Delariate’s goal, the Blue Eagles struggled to come up with chances on offense for the next couple of minutes. Their final opening then came at the 77th minute when Paco Mathay’s attempt via midfielder Leo Maquiling’s cross went just above the crossbar.
[77th Minute]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) December 8, 2022
Chance for Ateneo as Maquiling crosses it to Mathay.
Ateneo 0 Air Force 1#AngLiga pic.twitter.com/Vlz2SDYMc2
However, the Air Force’s defense still proved to be too much for Ateneo as the Blue Eagles were unable to capitalize on their succeeding chances during stoppage time.
The AMFT will take on the FEU Tamaraws and battle for third place on Sunday, December 11, at 12:30 PM at the De La Salle University Biñan Football Field in Laguna.
