THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) reigned supreme against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 2-1, on Saturday, August 26, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch in Quezon City.

This win puts the Blue Eagles at a 2-0-0 win-draw-loss standing in the Ang Liga Season 19 Division 1.

The first half marked a strong beginning for both teams as a grand display of tactics and maneuvers made way for back-and-forth plays. With composed shots and quick passes, the Blue Eagles painted their sets with offensive strategies that put their sights on the goal. However, several close shots that narrowly missed the post compelled the Blue and White to quickly regroup and rebuild their momentum.

On the other hand, the Fighting Maroons answered back with strong defensive mechanisms of their own that ultimately stifled Ateneo’s attempts at squaring up for the net. After drawn-out shuffles from pillar to post, the first half then came to an end with a deadlock, 0-0.

The onset of the second half saw the Fighting Maroons initiate a strong offensive play that left no breathing room for the Blue Eagles strikers. However, in the midst of the tit-for-tat battle, Kofi Agyei drew first blood in the 53rd minute with a much-awaited gap, 1-0.

After the tiebreaker, the battle returned to a shuttlewise bout, with both teams displaying unyielding defensive systems. 

With the match close to a conclusion, Ateneo’s solid defense was exploited after UP’s John Antonio brought the score to a deadlock, 1-1, at the 85th-minute mark of the match with an impressive shot at the net. 

The Fighting Maroons continued to counter every attempt of the Blue Eagles close to the net as the clock started to tick down. Things changed in the 92nd minute, as Leo Maquiling scored the winning goal in injury time to seal the match in favor of the Loyola Heights-base squad, 2-1.

When asked about his thoughts on the game, Maquiling was pleased with the team’s performance and looks forward to the next match, in hopes of holding on to their winning streak.

“I feel really good that the team was able to perform. I know that we scored first and then we conceded the goal, but that didn’t stop us from winning the game. We showed passion and we really played well today,” says the Man of the Match.

The Blue Eagles’ next match will be against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, at 4:00 PM, Saturday, September 2 at the same venue.