Fresh off their resounding win over archrival De La Salle University last Thursday, Ateneo de Manila University secured another key win—a 2-1 victory against defending champion Far Eastern University—in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament on Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Trailing by a goal at halftime, the Blue Eagles found the equalizer in the 53rd minute, courtesy of Dov Cariño.
Ateneo then poured in the pressure, and substitute midfielder Galen Fernandez netted the winning goal in the 81st minute, beating FEU goalkeeper Montaño Allan Diansuy to clinch the match.
“To get a win against La Salle, as an Atenean, I’m so happy to get the three points, especially if you score more goals against La Salle. They were very important three points,” said Ateneo head coach JP Merida.
He added, “Going to FEU, it’s a tough game. But also to get three points against FEU—it’s a different class talaga. We need to celebrate and accept that it’s so nice to receive these kinds of points.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
FEU initially took the lead in the 42nd minute when defender Khent Brian Valenzuela scored with a header.
Tensions flared briefly before halftime as Merida and FEU coach Roman Oliver had a heated exchange.
In the second half, FEU missed opportunities to extend their lead.
Valenzuela squandered a chance to double the Tamaraws’ advantage just before Cariño’s equalizer, while teammate Mel Anthony Baylon also missed a promising scoring opportunity.
The intensity continued to build, and both teams became entangled in a brief scuffle in the 84th minute.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and the match resumed without further incident.
With the win, Ateneo now sits atop the standings with 9 points and a plus-6 goal difference.
The Blue Eagles’ next challenge comes on Thursday when they face neighbors University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue.
“Looking forward against UP, of course, it’s a really tough game,” said Merida. “Playing against UP is very difficult because their crowd has a big impact, and playing here on their field is hard since they’re so familiar with it. We’ll take that challenge on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, the Tamaraws dropped to second place with six points and a plus-4 goal difference after suffering their first defeat of the season.
FEU will aim to bounce back against De La Salle University this Thursday at 4 p.m.
Among the notable attendees for the match were Johnny Romualdez, former Philippine Football Federation president from 2004-2008, newly-appointed men’s national team head coach Albert Capellas, and PFF National Teams Director Freddy Gonzalez.
