THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dropped their second-straight fixture as they succumbed to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in a match with significant Final Four implications, 0-2. The last bout of the elimination round was held earlier today, January 25, at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
The loss currently places the Blue and White at fourth in the league table, as their playoff hopes hang in the balance with a 4-3-5 win-draw-loss record and a +3 goal differential.
FEU’s Theo Libarnes bagged the Man of the Match honors after netting a goal in the lopsided affair.
The opening sequences of the match saw both squads testing each other’s mettle, with neither team gaining a significant offensive advantage. However, by the 9th minute, Ateneo found themselves on the defensive as Tamaraw Karl Absalon delivered a promising set-piece that forced an instinctive clearance from Kofi Agyei.
Three minutes later, Absalon continued his early charge, raising threats from the edge of the box with a long-range shot. Showcasing his quick reflexes, Ateneo keeper Alfonso Loja immediately surged into the scene and managed to obscure the forward’s incoming offensive to keep the game leveled.
With the Tamaraws dominating possession, the Blue Eagles were forced to retreat into the defensive third. Rising to the occasion, defenders Caleb Santos and Oswald Santilices anchored the backline, closely marking FEU forwards to keep Ateneo within striking distance.
Desperate to find footing, Dov Cariño manufactured a run at goal in the 30th minute. Against the run of play, the Team Captain surged from the left flank to produce an emphatic shot from a tight angle, but it was parried away by FEU’s Mon Diansuy.
Sensing rising momentum, Ateneo’s Kenji Rance followed suit in the 38th minute as he raced past his defenders and pearled in a magnificent cross into the box. Despite the sublime execution, Rance’s pass failed to materialize as FEU defenders immediately burst into action to clear away the chance.
With the Blue Eagles swarming the attacking third, the Tamaraws manufactured a quick counter-attack in the 39th minute. Struggling to fend off the darting forwards, Loja found himself wrong-footed as Theo Libarnes thumped home a strike to break the deadlock, 0-1.
Determined to claw one back, the Blue Eagles continued to carve dangerous chances deep in FEU’s territory. The most prominent of these came in the 41st minute when Cariño threatened from the left flank anew. However, the Team Captain’s delivery was intercepted by Diansuy, denying the probing Agyei a clear scoring opportunity from close range.
Seeking to surmount the one-goal deficit, the Blue and White re-entered the pitch with renewed vigor as the second half began, starting with the introductions of Ethan Roxas, Javier Bengson, and Karl Molina via a triple substitution.
Ateneo’s aggression almost bore fruit early in the 46th minute, with Agyei receiving the ball in the channel, driving and forcing the FEU defense to dispossess him for a corner. The first corner led to a potshot from Lacson being deflected over the bar by the Tamaraws for another corner, and the Blue Eagles could not capitalize on a goalmouth scramble in the following corner.
The chances continued to flow for the Katipunan-based side, as a high press from Agyei caught the FEU defense off guard, leading to Ateneo’s biggest opportunity in the game in the 54th minute. However, his shot was saved by Diansuy in a corner, which the Blue Eagles were unable to convert.
FEU began to settle into a rhythm by the hour mark, with a dangerous counter-attacking attempt led by Absalon forcing Santos to make a last-ditch slide tackle to prevent the midfielder from creating any more danger.
Ateneo continued to create more openings five minutes later, with Karl Molina’s cross catching Diansuy out of position, but no white shirt was able to cleanly get on the end of it. With FEU being able to clear the ball, it provided the platform for another Absalon-led counterattack, with his shot being smothered by the center back pairing of Santos and Marco Salud.
FEU continued to ramp up their attempts to double the gap, starting with a low driving effort from Libarnes that was saved by Loja in the 67th minute. Moments later, FEU’s McJay Neniel’s shot down the right flank narrowly went wide off Loja’s far post.
Both teams continued to trade chances deep into the half, with the Katipunan-based squad having a dangerous chance from a free kick in the 81st minute. However, no Atenean was able to win the second ball from Agyei’s flick-on, keeping the gap at one. FEU’s Selwyn Mamon’s one-on-one effort seven minutes later was then saved by Loja.
With eight minutes of added time at the end of the half, both teams created more opportunities to change the game. Ateneo claimed a free kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but Agyei’s header flew wide. Mamon was able to put the nail in the Blue Eagles’ coffin three minutes later, handing the Blue and White a 0-2 defeat to end the elimination round.
As of writing, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are the provisional fourth seed at the end of the preliminary round. However, with the De La Salle Green Booters having a game in hand and two points behind, the Katipunan-based squad will have to wait for their rivals’ results to confirm their Final Four status.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (0): Loja (GK), Agyei, Aljama, Bautista, Cariño (C), De Ocampo, Lacson, Rance, Santilices, Salud, , Santos
FEU (2): Diansuy (GK), Pescadera, Absalon, Acuesta, Alipoon, Amita, Anito, Baylon, Buenafe, Libarnes, Niu
Current Standings — Points (GD):
- UP Fighting Maroons – 26 (+13)
- FEU Tamaraws – 23 (+11)
- UST Golden Booters – 18 (+5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 15 (+3)
- DLSU Green Booters – 13 (+1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 10 (-9)
- UE Red Warriors – 0 (-24)
