Joses Amadu Azur and Ramil Bation III scored late goals to propel University of the Philippines past De La Salle University with a 2-0 victory in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament on Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Both players – who came off the bench in the second half – found the back of the net in quick succession, breaking the Green Booters’ resolve.
Azur opened the scoring with a precise finish past La Salle goalkeeper Enrico Mangaoang in the 83rd minute, while Bation sealed the victory for UP just a minute later.
“It was planned,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Popoy Clarino. “The way we were able to score the goals was something we prepared for during training.
“Their desire to score was one of the reasons they were able to find the net for the team.”
This win allowed UP to conclude the first round by leapfrogging the University of Santo Tomas, securing third place in the standings with 10 points.
However, UP trails Far Eastern University, which sits in second place behind first-round topnotcher Ateneo due to superior goal difference.
“It’s nice to end the first round full of confidence heading into the second round,” Clarino noted. “We’re expecting the second round to be more competitive since all teams are just a couple of points apart.”
On the other hand, La Salle finished the first round in fifth place with seven points and a minus-4 goal difference.
The Green Booters looked poised to earn a draw thanks to Mangaoang’s heroics.
The junior stopper from De La Salle Zobel denied Fighting Maroons captain Macky Tobias from the penalty spot and made a point-blank stop against Bation’s header.
However, La Salle eventually lost steam and succumbed to UP’s late surge.
