DESPITE A winning performance in their previous game against Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), the Ateneo Blue Eagles failed to continue their fine form against the University of the Philippines (UP) in the Ang Liga edition of the Katipunan derby, 0-1.
The Fighting Maroons’ disciplined performance proved too much to overcome for the Blue Eagles in a frustrating afternoon in De La Salle Canlubang.
Christian Lapas’ spot kick in the 12th minute was all that separated the two sides in a tense match. The midfielder’s goal was enough to take 2nd-ranked UP to the top of the table and lock Ateneo at 7th. The Blue Eagles were pressed high up the pitch throughout both halves, and much of UP’s success came off of positional errors from the Blue and White.
The first half saw Ateneo struggle to hold onto possession and build attacks, allowing UP to enjoy its most dominant spells of the match early on. Tactical adjustments and key substitutions energized the Blue Eagles in the second half, but a largely untested UP backline was fresh enough to see their early lead through.
The first half was a stern test of Ateneo’s defensive mettle. UP’s wingers and midfield did well to shut down passing lanes and crowd the area around the Ateneo box. Without options for the midfield and backline to move the ball and release pressure, Ateneo either hesitated to clear or rushed outlet passes to the strikers, which allowed UP to win the ball back in dangerous areas against a scrambled defense.
JB Borlongan stood out for the Fighting Maroons with his relentless pressing and willingness to play combinations around defenders. In the 12th minute, he took the ball off Mike Castillo and swung in a cross that hit Jayrah Rocha on the arm, forcing the referee to award a penalty. Christian Lapas placed his shot on the right, past a frozen AJ Arcilla in goal.
UP kept the pressure on after the goal, bar a half-chance in the box from Jarvey Gayoso through a Nino Herrera breakaway in the 17th. In the 25th minute, they nearly doubled their lead through Fidel Tacardon’s header, which sailed inches wide of the left post. Justin Dy came on in the 33rd minute to replace Martin Ordoñez at the base of the Ateneo midfield to provide more defensive cover.
More tactical adjustments to counter UP’s pressure followed, with Carlitos Mathay and Mike Castillo dropping back from the wings to form a five-man backline. Playing a more defensive formation created more options to play out from the back, which curbed UP’s utilization of the wings. Managing to hold UP ay bay, Ateneo was able to reach halftime only a goal down and with a blueprint for more defensive security in the final 45.
At halftime, Coach Jaypee Merida told the team to respond to the physical challenge raised by UP and create more options with better movement to break through the press. Will Grierson and Ged Poe switched sides on defense to create more suitable defensive matchups for Ateneo.
The second half started out with UP continuing to dominate possession, but the Blue Eagles’ defensive steel took the battle higher up the pitch instead of around the box. As a result, the midfield could create more threatening counter-attacks and the defense had more time to pick out runs in behind from Gayoso and Sam Lim, though no clear chances to punish UP presented themselves.
The introduction of substitutes Carlo Alilam for Enzo Ceniza, Mark Nacional for Carlitos Mathay, and Rian Dy for Sam Lim marked the turnaround for Ateneo in the match. Their energy served as a counter-press on UP’s midfield which set up Ateneo to spread play and penetrate more threatening areas. The game began to open up with both teams trading chances in the 72nd and 74th minutes. UP’s Kyle Magdato smashed his volley high and Alilam nearly sent Nacional through on goal, but both sides expertly marshaled the danger.
With ten minutes to go, Ateneo made an unusual adjustment that saw Grierson move up top to partner Gayoso as a target man, while Rian Dy served as an extra man on the midfield. The switch injected Ateneo with a newfound attacking verve and Grierson almost instantly turned in an equalizer. Grierson made a second post run on a Gayoso free kick but narrowly missed the ball on his free header at the goalmouth.
Grierson’s presence up top allowed Ateneo to quickly advance the ball upfield and bring their midfielders into play, but UP’s defense came up with vital interceptions to prevent any incisive through-balls from turning into equalizers.
Late drama at the end came through a Gayoso free-kick which hammered Harel Dayan’s post. Rocha came in to attack the rebound but was tackled from behind in the box. No penalty was given and UP managed to scramble the ball clear. The final whistle blew with Blue Eagles unable to find their elusive equalizer.
On the team’s early problems, Ged Poe said, “Today, as a team, we weren’t able to open up for each other, and I think that’s crucial for us to build attacks from the back.”
Grierson echoed Poe’s assessment of their defensive woes and added, “They selected certain areas to press, and whenever they did, they succeeded. Because of that, we weren’t able to hold possession for very long.”
However, both give credit to the subs that turned the game for Ateneo towards the end of the match. “We told each other that we needed to help each other perform our duties on the pitch, and when the subs came on, they played a big role,” Poe pointed out.
The game today fell under a concerning pattern of play from the Blue Eagles in their preseason so far. They often struggle at the starts of games, especially against teams that press them high, and are rushed into decisions that create more problems.
It usually takes time for the team to adjust to the physicality of the matchup, and it seems that most of their chances come from set pieces and pacey counter attacks instead of steady build-up play.
The Blue Eagles will hope to address these issues in their next game, and find a winning rhythm with only couple of months to go before the season.
