Defending champion University of the Philippines rallied from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Far Eastern University, splitting the points Thursday night in the UAAP Season 87 men’s football tournament at the UP Football Stadium.
Ramil Bation III scored a second-half brace, bringing his goal tally to seven, as the Fighting Maroons earned a crucial point to keep their hopes alive of finishing at the top of the elimination round.
Third-place UP now has 23 points, two behind league leaders Ateneo.
(C) PVL Images
The Tamaraws failed to extend their lead, remaining in second place with 24 points, just one behind the Blue Eagles. Coach Roman Oliver’s side has completed its elimination round campaign.
“One of the messages was how do we emulate or excel from the UST game? The message was to keep that hunger, to help each other on the field. If one makes a mistake, the other is there to cover it,” said head coach Popoy Clarino.
“And of course, the effort – clearly, it showed throughout the 90 minutes plus stoppage time. The effort was there. Everyone was there to cover one another and help each other. It showed with how we were able to equalize against FEU.”
This result makes Sunday’s final elimination round matchday even more exciting as the Final Four pairings are on the line.
UP will face De La Salle, while Ateneo will take on University of Santo Tomas.
Karl Absalon opened the scoring for FEU with an 18th-minute penalty, before Selwyn Mamon doubled the lead in the 80th minute.
(C) PVL Images
The Fighting Maroons responded as Bation pulled one back in the 86th minute before scoring a stoppage-time equalizer that dashed the Tamaraws’ hopes of securing the win.
“We’ve always trusted our players, and whoever we put in there, we put our full trust in them. We know they can do the job, and they showed it. We’re happy with their performance, and hopefully, we can bring this experience into the following games,” Clarino added. (TJ)
