Far Eastern University reclaimed second place with a dominant 5-0 win over University of the East on Thursday night in the UAAP Season 87 collegiate men’s football tournament at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
This victory marked the Tamaraws’ second consecutive clean sheet in the second round, further solidifying their hold on the No. 2 spot. FEU has now scored a combined 11 goals in their last two matches, following a commanding 6-0 victory over Adamson University last Sunday.
“Well, in the end, they give you the same for a 1-0 or 5-0 win. For sure, it’s better to get as many goals as possible. The important thing is that we get 16 points, which means we are very, very close to being in the final four, and we’re very happy about it,” said Tamaraws coach Roman Oliver.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
FEU now sits three points clear of defending champions and third-place University of the Philippines, but still five points behind league leaders Ateneo.
The Tamaraws broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Theo Libarnes capitalized on a mistake by UE’s John Sumamoy to net his third goal of the season.
In the 37th minute, Eugene Arriola doubled FEU’s lead with a well-executed free kick, leaving UE’s goalkeeper with little chance.
Selwyn Mamon made it 3-0 in the 74th minute, heading in a perfectly placed ball from a Tamaraws set piece.
Substitute McJay Neniel then sealed the win in the 89th minute with a beautiful one-touch strike, and Karl Absalon added a stoppage-time goal to cap off FEU’s dominant performance.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“It’s about teamwork. We are the only team with different goalscorers, so this is very important. This is going to give us more chances of scoring more goals and winning matches. So this is a very good thing, and I’m happy. I don’t care who scored, as long as the team scored the goal,” Oliver said.
Meanwhile, UE remained in sixth place with seven points, four behind fourth-place University of Santo Tomas.
FEU will enjoy a week-long break before facing UST on Thursday. (TJ)
