THE ATENEO Blue Eagles concede to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 0-1, in their second encounter of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Football Tournament. The latest edition of the Battle of Katipunan was held earlier this evening, November 6, at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
The tough loss drops the Blue Eagles to fourth place in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Football Tournament standings, with a 3-2-3 win-draw-loss column along with a +5 goal differential.
Despite the loss, goalkeeper Paolo Tansingco proved to be a highlight in defense, making crucial saves throughout the match to keep Ateneo in the game. Meanwhile, frontman Kofi Agyei produced dangerous chances near the end of the game, putting pressure on the UP defense.
At the onset of the first half, the Blue Eagles were challenged by the league-leading Fighting Maroons, having to defend from multiple attacks on the right flank. Troubles presented themselves early, as UP was rewarded two consecutive free kicks from Dov Cariño’s fouls, with one narrowly missing the goal as Agyei directed the ball away, saving Ateneo from an early deficit.
Another corner attempt from UP was contested by rookie Tansingco, giving Ateneo the momentum to push on the other side of the field. In the sixth minute, Rance managed to get an early attempt toward the goal, but was deflected by UP’s Jose Gonzalez.
After constant battles in the midfield, the Blue and White’s defense proved porous, as the Fighting Maroon Rehmat Sidhu found chances outside the box. Ateneo reinforced their defense, deflecting another shot into the outside grass.
Moving to the halfway point, errant passes plagued both teams’ offense as Ateneo sought the match’s first goal. In the 29th minute, UP’s Sidhu caught the ball with a straight line drive, with a clear shot being dramatically saved by another Tansingco closeout.
On the other end, Agyei pushed the pace against a waning Fighting Maroons’ lineup, attempting to find an angle to work from. Before the Ateneo striker could get the shot off, the UP defense collapsed on Agyei, forcing the Blue Eagles to surrender the effort.
In the 42nd minute, Blue Eagle skipper Cariño received the ball from a long pass, which gave him the runaway towards the goal. With UP’s goalkeeper and full-back closing in on Cariño, the Atenean athlete forced the attempt, hitting only the side of the net, 0-0.
Few back-to-back battles in the midfield failed to bear fruit, causing both teams to enter halftime all-nil.
Continuing to keep up the pace from the first half, both Katipunan-based squads started the second period pinning each other back in their respective boxes. The first sign of danger came from the Fighting Maroons in the 48th minute, where a lofted ball into Ateneo’s penalty box proved to be too strong and went out of play.
Ateneo continued to show some signs of life with their direct passing to dismantle UP’s lines, with Javier Bengson hitting an ambitious through ball to Agyei in the 51st minute. However, the pass was too strong, allowing UP to recover and smother the attack attempt.
The first shot of the half came from UP during the 52nd minute as Ramil Bation found himself enough space to shoot, but Tansinco easily held the ball for the save. Bation continued to challenge Ateneo’s rookie keeper, who successfully saved two consecutive shots from the feisty Fighting Maroon.
Ateneo’s defense was continuously placed under pressure, as a through ball to substitute Florenz Tacardon forced Mateo Lacson to make a last-ditch recovery tackle just before the one-hour mark. Two minutes later, UP’s through balls continued to be a thorn in Ateneo’s side, with a pass to Joseph Garces allowing him to drive in a low cross, forcing Marco Salud to clear the ball out.
The Blue and White slowly settled into their offense, starting with a cross from Nathan De Ocampo in the 62nd minute that was headed away by UP’s Joseph Lobitania. Cariño nearly produced a moment of magic in the 67th minute as his dribble into the box produced a corner opportunity.
While the set-piece was cleared by UP, game officials were forced to hand out yellow cards due to the excessive physicality displayed by both teams. De Ocampo also went into the referee’s book, getting a yellow card of his own in the 71st minute.
The Loyola Heights-based squad continued to be barraged by their adversaries from Diliman, highlighted by Tacardon’s shot being blocked by the defense and Cian Gabriel Galsim’s cross being headed away by Agyei. Ateneo then produced its most dangerous shot in the half as Ethan Roxas’ lofted ball freed up Agyei for a header, but the Ghanaian was unable to direct his attempt goalwards.
The game significantly intensified in the last 10 minutes of the bout, with both teams determined to find that crucial breakthrough. The 85th minute proved to be Ateneo’s downfall, after a cross from Kendrick Saludez found Tacardon free in the back post, beating Tansingco and putting Ateneo behind, 0-1.
Ateneo then desperately attempted to find another equalizer, with Cariño nearly capitalizing on a loose ball in the 86th minute. The fourth minute of stoppage time almost gave the Blue Eagles a lifeline, as Agyei’s point-blank header was saved by Gonzalez. As time ran out for a possible goal, the Blue Eagles absorbed their third defeat of Season 88, 0-1.
Set on returning to the win column, the Blue and White will look to gain crucial points against the University of the East Red Warriors on November 17, Sunday, at 4:oo PM in the same venue.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (0): Tansingco (GK), Agyei, Bautista, Bengson, Cariño (C), De Ocampo, Lacson, Rance, Salud, Santos, Soriano
UP (1): Gonzalez (GK), Almodal, Basmayor, Bation, Caraig, Comla, Galsim, Garces, Lampayan, Lobitana, Sidhu
Current Standings — Points (GD):
- UP Fighting Maroons — 22 (+12)
- FEU Tamaraws — 17 (+9)
- UST Golden Booters — 14 (+3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles — 11 (+5)
- DLSU Green Booters — 9 (-1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons — 5 (-11)
- UE Red Warriors — 0 (-17)
