In what was a game of two teams with contrasting fortunes, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons displayed their superiority with a 4-0 victory over the National University Bulldogs.
JB Borlongan (23′ & 27′), Kintaro Miyagi (49′), and substitute James Condat (77′) provided the goals for the Fighting Maroons against the struggling Bulldogs side today at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
“He was so eager to play,” commented UP mentor Anto Gonzales on Borlongan. “Last game he didn’t play because of a hamstring concern but he was very excited to be back on the pitch. He was very eager to play so I think he deserves the two goals.”
Oozing with confidence after their 4-0 win against University of the East last February 9, UP bombarded NU right from kickoff. The game was mostly played in the Bulldogs’ half, as the Fighting Maroons’ possession game forced the former to sit deep.
UP’s possession paid dividends as they created multiple goal-scoring opportunities. It was Borlongan who made the most out of them, as he opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a powerful strike, then doubled the Fighting Maroons’ lead afterwards as he pounced on a scramble in NU’s box in the 27th minute.
NU failed to lay a finger on UP as the Fighting Maroons secured a 2-0 cushion against the Bulldogs at the break. The next 45 minutes saw the same story as the one that preceded it.
It took the Fighting Maroons just four minutes after the restart to triple their lead. Some fine combination play allowed Miyagi through on goal, and the striker made no mistake as he calmly put the ball past Bulldogs goalie Hayeson Pepito in the 49th minute.
There was no stopping these Fighting Maroons, as substitute forward Condat compounded the Bulldogs’ woes with another goal in the 77th minute. It ended with UP up 4-0 after 90 minutes, and both teams’ differing performances could be a sign of where they end up this season.
“We stuck with the gameplan. We wanted to improve our decision making from the last two games. I think in this game we were deliberate in the attack, but at the same time when we saw the opportunities to make those penetration passes especially in the first half we were able to do them,” explained Gonzales.
Up next for UP (2-1-0) will be the University of Santo Tomas on February 19, at Far Eastern University-Diliman, with the kickoff time yet to be clarified. On the other hand, NU (0-1-2) shall face FEU on February 18, 4:00 PM, at Rizal Memorial.
NU XI: Alivio, Colina, Dagsa, Marcaida, Padernal, Pepito, Sampaga, Socrates, Sullano, Valenzuela, Viray
UP XI: Borlongan, Casambre, Clarino Ju, Clarino Jo, Gadia, Lapas, Miyagi, Patangan, Rafanan, Sanciangco, Villanueva
