Liam Lampayan’s dramatic stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 victory for University of the Philippines over Ateneo de Manila University, solidifying their hold on third place in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament on Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Lampayan, a third-year defender from De La Salle Zobel, headed the ball home in the 90+5 minute.
That sealed the win for the Fighting Maroons in dramatic fashion while handing the Blue Eagles their first loss of the season after a perfect seven-match run.
“It was a relief,” said Lampayan. “The coaches always pushed me to score talaga, and it’s a relief I finally got my first goal of the season.
“Ateneo’s obviously the team to beat because of their record of seven wins. Our goal was to stop their winning streak and kill their momentum. I’m happy that I was able to contribute to that.”
Both teams had several chances to break the deadlock before Lampayan’s winning goal.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Ateneo midfielder Galen Fernandez hit the crossbar midway through the first half, while Viggo Herce and Ramil Bation both saw headers go wide before the break.
Leo Maquiling had a golden opportunity to open the scoring early in the second half but missed the target, while Fernandez had another chance that went begging.
At the other end, UP goalkeeper Alfonso Gonzalez made a crucial save, preventing the ball from fully crossing the line after a combined effort from Dov Cariño and Jethro Flores.
Ultimately, the Fighting Maroons secured all three points and exacted revenge on the Blue Eagles, who had previously defeated UP 2-0 in the first round on October 10, thanks to Cariño’s brace.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Kudos to Ateneo, they’re a great team,” said UP head coach Popoy Clarino. “It was a neck-and-neck battle. I think we deserved this because of the work that we put in. We were rewarded with the win.”
With the victory, UP strengthened its grip on third place, increasing its tally to 16 points and a plus-9 goal difference.
UP will face De La Salle University this Sunday at 4:00 PM on its home pitch.
Meanwhile, Ateneo – still in first place with 21 points and a plus-17 goal difference – will next face archrival DLSU this Thursday at the same venue.
