Ramil Bation III and Keano Guerrero scored spectacular goals as University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University settled for a 1-1 draw in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament on Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Bation, the Season 86 Rookie of the Year, unleashed a powerful free kick in the 72nd minute to salvage a point for the Fighting Maroons after the Blue Eagles took the lead in the first half.
UP, however, finished the match with 10 men after defender Josh Meriño received a second yellow card late in the game for pulling down Ateneo’s Renzo Aljama.
For UP head coach Popoy Clarino, the draw was a fair result after a hard-fought battle between the two sides.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
The point lifted the Fighting Maroons above Far Eastern University and into third place in the standings with four points and a plus-one goal difference.
“Well played to Ateneo,” said Clarino. “They played a fantastic game. It was back-and-forth action from both teams, and we both came out on top with a point each.”
Meanwhile, Ateneo got off to a dream start against UP after suffering two defeats to open its campaign.
Keano Guerrero, a recruit from the United Kingdom, broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a long-range strike that beat Fighting Maroons goalkeeper Fonzy Gonzalez.
The goal was Guerrero’s second of the season after he opened his account against the Adamson Soaring Falcons last Thursday.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Like Clarino, Ateneo head coach JP Merida praised both teams for their performances in the hard-fought encounter.
The Blue Eagles moved up to fifth place with one point and a minus-four goal difference after three matches.
“The game was really excellent,” said Merida. “Credit to my players, especially Jethro [Flores]. This was his first 90 minutes. Also, it’s a really good goal yung kay Keanno. It’s unbelievable. It went to the top corner. For me, it was a good game… I’m so happy with the result, especially with my players.”
Both teams return to action on Thursday at the same venue. Ateneo faces University of Santo Tomas at 2:00 PM, while UP takes on University of the East at 7:00 PM.
