THE ATENEO Blue Eagles braved through the feisty University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Booters 2-0 in their semifinals bout earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in the City of Manila. The victory for the Blue Eagles ensured a finals matchup against the Far Eastern University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Football Tournament.
Ateneo’s excellent execution off of set-ups from midfielder Leo Maquiling yielded two goals and secured the win for Ateneo.Both Kofi Agyei and Galen Fernandez managed to put points on the board off of Leo Maquiling’s free kicks.
The semifinals triumph for the Blue Eagles also marked their first win against the Golden Booters in Season 85 as the squad from España had been the strongest opponent for Ateneo all season long. UST had been the only team to defeat the Blue and White twice in the regular season after a 0-2 loss in round one and a 0-1 defeat in the second round.
The game started with both teams eager to score quickly as UST came out of the gates aggressively. Hungry from the get-go, the Golden Booters opened with a set piece that needed saving from Atenean goalkeeper Artuz Cezar in the 19th minute.
[First Half]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) May 11, 2023
19' – Risky business for Ateneo, but Cezar manages to deny UST a goal off their free-kick.
Ateneo 0 UST 0@TheGUIDONSports#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/SNcCGgJAcP
By the 24th-minute mark of the first half, Maquiling and Fernando Roxas had consecutive chances at scoring a goal, but were ultimately unable to burst through UST’s defense.
[First Half]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) May 11, 2023
24' – Golden opportunity for the Blue Eagles as Maquiling and F. Roxas get back-to-back chances to score, but both attempts are sent back by UST's Abada.
Ateneo 0 UST 0#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/oKUOdJPr5y
Another chance for Ateneo came at the 35th minute when striker Agyei found some space inside the box but was unable to control the ball to get a shot off. The Atenean striker did redeem himself just before halftime with a dazzling header off a set piece from Maquiling to score the Blue Eagles’ first goal of the match and their first goal against the Golden Booters this season. The Blue and White led 1-0 after the first half.
[First Half]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) May 11, 2023
45’ – GOAL FOR ATENEO! Maquiling manages to locate Agyei as he heads the ball into the net!
Ateneo 1 UST 0#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/Sd3vOfjQMS
Ateneo stormed out of the break looking for a second goal with an attempt from Sky Guerrero that the UST goalkeeper Abada just barely managed to contain.
Maquiling continued his brilliance in set piece taking in the 55th minute as his free kick attempt found Galen Fernandez unmanned in the box to score Ateneo’s second goal. As Fernandez logged his first goal of the season, the Katipunan-based squad took a commanding 2-0 lead after the first hour of play.
[Second Half]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) May 11, 2023
54’ – GOAL FOR ATENEO! Fernandez’s powerful shot gives the Blue Eagles a comfortable advantage!
Ateneo 2 UST 0#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/UbwYb3kuwz
The final half hour of the match saw the Blue Eagles control the game on both ends as their defensive line stood strong, preventing UST from getting any clear chance to score. Continuing Ateneo’s offensive showcase, Maquiling looked to score a goal to add to his impressive performance but was stopped by Abada in the 86th minute. Nevertheless, Ateneo’s poise proved too much for UST as the final whistle sounded with the Blue Eagles booking their ticket to the finals, 2-0.
[Second Half]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) May 11, 2023
84’ – Maquiling slides into position for a pretty shot, but Abada is right there to deny the goal attempt.
Ateneo 2 UST 0#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/PqFCB50Cty
Scoring off multiple set pieces in their past few games, Maquiling shared his thoughts on assisting on both goals tonight. “I’m just really happy because we always make sure to capitalize on these set pieces because we don’t get these chances all the time,” the midfielder said.
Meanwhile, Fernandez shared the team’s newfound camaraderie over their final games. “These are my brothers, we’ve developed chemistry over the course of the season. We’ve really shown each other that we trust one another and we’ll always be there for each other no matter what,” Fernandez said.
The Ateneo Men’s Football Team now set their sights on their finals do-or-die match against the Far Eastern University Tamaraw Booters on May 18 at 5:00 PM at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
