THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT)’s unbeaten run in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 comes to a dramatic end after conceding a late-goal winner to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 0-1. The thrilling matchup took place earlier today at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
Despite being dealt with their first loss of the season, the Blue Eagles still stand atop the UAAP Men’s Football tournament’s standings with an 7-1-0 win-loss-draw record.
The Fighting Maroons opted to press high early in the game with hopes of neutralizing the Blue Eagles’ offensive actions. Standing firm amid UP’s impending advances, Jethro Flores and Fonzy Escobin orchestrated long-balls to fend off the pressing forwards.
Ateneo looked to get their own offensive engine going, as they banked on one-touch plays in the midfield and scintillating runs on the left flank to carve out chances. The Blue Eagles’ most prominent opportunity to score a breakthrough came in the 21st minute when a maneuvering Leo Maquiling located Galen Fernandez at the edge of the box, whose sublime effort hit the woodwork.
Midway through the first half, the Fighting Maroons imposed their will on the attacking third via quick counters and frontline advances. UP’s Joseph Garces and Ramil Bation III slotted incursions, but no threat materialized as Ateneo’s Marcus Arias and veteran keeper Artuz Cezar dislodged the impending tries.
In the 32nd minute, Joaquin Collo’s sensational through ball found a prying Dov Cariño down the middle. However, Cariño’s bursting run was anticipated by UP keeper Jose Gonzalez, who denied the Blue Eagle a scoring entry.
With unyielding vigor, the Ateneo frontline continued to spur a series of offensive openings to close the first 45 minutes. Maquiling and Javier Bengson summoned the high-octane sequences, but UP’s defensive schemes closed in on the gaps to cap off the half on equal footing, 0-0.
Re-entering the fray in the second half, the Blue Eagles’ attacking third still struggled to bypass the UP back-line, albeit this time showing signs of defensive wear from their rivals.
Two minutes into the half, midfielder Fernandez handed an advanced pass to Maquiling, which the Atenean skipper almost brought home with a staggering volley above the rival’s goal.
After 10 minutes of possession from both ends, Fernandez once again nearly turned in a chance to flip the scoring, capitalizing on precarious man-marking in the 18-yard box of the Fighting Maroons.
Atenean winger Ryen Lim dispatched a resounding cross for an open Fernadez, bringing forth a powered volley attempt that was wide off the woodwork. Subsequently, in the 69th minute, the Blue and White defense tested their odds to concoct a goal with a Cariño lofted pass that found wing-back Flores.
The high-motor defender produced a powering header, which Diliman-based keeper Gonzales stopped at the goal-line of the opposing net. Despite its chances of being tallied as a goal, the ball was called by the referees as a save, as both squads continued the heated match at 0-0.
In the remaining minutes of the intense matchup, the Katipunan rivals traded attacking plays to call this game’s winner. Ultimately, the Blue Eagles were hit with misfortune as a counter-attack sequence from UP ended in the Diliman-based squad’s favor.
Following the rookie Collo’s attempt which nearly went through Gonzales, UP strung a right-flank play by Liam Lampayan just moments before the final whistle. The Maroon blitzed past the Blue Eagle defense at the 90+5-minute mark to send in a header above goalkeeper Cezar, putting the JP Merida-coached unit at a 0-1 hole late in the contest.
The Blue Eagles tried to answer back, but were unsuccessful in keeping their spotless Season 87 record alive after the heartbreaking cardiac finish.
Despite the loss, Team Captain Maquiling mentioned that his squad remains determined to improve from this performance, keeping their head up for the upcoming fixtures. “It’s okay, this is a game where we could learn a lot rin (too), where we can improve [from] for the next few games,” Maquling said.
Ateneo aims to get back onto the winning column when they face the De La Salle University Green Booters on November 14, Thursday, 6:30 PM in the same venue.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (0): Cezar (GK), Flores, Dela Cruz, Cariño, Lim, Maquiling (C), Escobin, Collo, Bengson, Fernandez, Arias
UP (1): Gonzalez (GK), Lampayan, Lobitaña, Tobias, Palacio, Galsim, Donato, Comla, Herce, Garces, Bation
Standings – Points (Goal Difference):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 21 (+17)
- FEU Tamaraws – 16 (+17)
- UP Fighting Maroons – 16 (+9)
- UST Golden Booters – 12 (+1)
- DLSU Green Booters- 7 (-5)
- UE Red Warriors – 7 (-8)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 0 (-26)
