While the season may have ended for both the eighth and ninth ranked teams, it was Pachanga-Diliman FC who left at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium with a 2-0 win over Team Socceroo FC in the United Football League (UFL) Division 1 tournament early Sunday evening.
With both teams wanting a win, it was Pachanga-Diliman FC who stepped out of the locker rooms hungrier for a goal. Just eight minutes from the starting whistle, an aggressive play rewarded them with a corner kick. Team captain Hamed Hajimehdi sent the ball flying towards Andrew Santiago, who headed in the ball towards the able legs of Reasat Islam. Islam then kicked it towards the goal, but the ball went wide to the dismay of the black-shirts.
In the next three minutes, two more quality attempts happened for Pachanga-Diliman spearheaded by former UAAP Football Most Valuable Player Stephen Permanes. Both his attempts, however, were unsuccessful in penetrating Team Socceroo’s goalkeeper Baba Sampana. Pachanga-Diliman almost tallied their first goal during the 18th minute but was hindered by an offside call. The call changed the pace for Team Socceroo’s counterattack as it led to attempts in the following minutes for forward Jerome Cuyos and holding midfielder Ryan Fermin. Unfortunately for the Socceroos, both attempts failed to meet the back of the net.
An exchange of possession and offensive opportunities followed for both teams. It was once again, Pachanga-Diliman that almost had the best chance to go-ahead ten minutes before the half ended. Former UP Maroon Jinggoy Valmayor received the ball at the edge of the box where he was fouled hard by an inconsistent Socceroo defender which led to a free kick. Assigned to take the free kick once more was team captain Hamed Hajimehdi but his attempt ended up hitting the right goalpost. The ensuing rebound was launched by Mahmoud Ali towards the goal but Socceroo custodian Sampana was able to tip it out of the danger zone. Again, a battle for possessions and offensive opportunities occurred until the end of the half where Pachanga statistically led 60% to Socceroo’s 40. Both teams settled for a stalemate to end the first half.
Similar to their previous games, the blue-shirts opened the second half aggressively. A scuffle that came from a free kick nearly gave them the lead. Alu Kigbu received the ball and immediately passed it to his teammate, Fermin. The incoming UAAP Season 78 UP Maroons’ team captain hastily launched the ball forcing it to go wide. The near-goal renewed Pachanga’s attacking form and subbed in offensive winger Hossein Doustdarsefidmazgi. The exchange led to a bombardment of attempts and eventually a goal. Team Socceroo defender Arnold Casil accidentally fouled the fresh Doustdarsefidmazgi inside the box. The consequent penalty kick courtesy of Hajimehdi finally put an end to the deadlock, giving Pachanga the 1-0 lead.
Wanting to answer back, the Socceroos immediately attacked but to no avail. It was the men in black who ended up with momentum for the rest of the game and at the 77th minute doubled their lead. Doustdarsefidmazgi directed a corner kick towards Permanes, who easily tapped the ball in to the dismay of Sampana. Both teams had their fair share of attempts but none met the back of the net. The game ended in favor of Pachanga-Diliman FC 2-0.
Pachanga-Diliman FC will face a rested Loyola Meralco Sparks FC next on July 22. Meanwhile, Team Socceroo FC will try to extend the league and prevent Ceres-La Salle FC from taking home the crown on July 25.
