After being held by the De La Salle University to a goalless draw last Saturday, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons sprang back to life as three sophomores and a rookie were on the mark to deliver a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the University of the East Red Warriors, Thursday evening at the Moro Lorenzo Football Field.
Yet it was a victory of which UP coach Anto Gonzales was not particularly. The former Fighting Maroon was himself critical of his team’s performance, particularly in the opening minutes of the game.
“Unsatisfactory win. We deviated from the plan. We intended to keep the ball better, less unforced errors compared to the last game bit start pa lang ng game we threw a lot of balls,” the UP mentor pointed out.
As many would have expected, the Fighting Maroons dictated the pace of the game. UP had the lion’s share of the ball as UE looked content to clog the dangerous areas.
Given the situation, the Red Warriors initially played well to keep Gonzales’ wards in check and even managed to string a few sequences on the counter.
The first good chance of the game unsurprisingly fell to UP, 13 minutes into the game. Ray Sanciangco’s pass from the right wing found Daniel Gadia in a good position inside the box. The captain had a clean look at goal but scuffed his shot wide.
A minute later, it was UE’s turn to test the UP defense when Mar Diano won the ball on the right flank. From there, he weaved his way into the box before passing the ball to Bon Opeña.
It was a chance the Red Warriors were left to rue as UP piled pressure in search for their first goal this season. As the Maroons kept their rhythm on the attack, UE’s resistance fell when Mason Vergara gave away a cheap handball in the 32nd minute.
Daniel Saavedra stepped up to take the penalty, which he buried with conviction to put UP in front with 12 minutes left ’til the half. Boosted by the goal, the Maroons revved it up to find themselves leading by two, five minutes later.
Getting his feet on a loose ball just outside the box, Sean Patangan whipped the ball into the top corner, leaving Frank Rieza with no chance.
With still seven minutes to spare before halftime, the champions pressed for a third that would perhaps kill the game off. They got what they were looking for at the last minute of the first half, as Gadia chased a delicious through-ball deep inside UE’s half.
Seeing teammate King Miyagi with acres of space, the skipper delivered a delightful pass that allowed Miyagi to do what he does best: hitting the ball into the back of the net to cap off a wonderful first half for UP.
As impressive as the three-goal burst in the first half looked on paper, Gonzales expressed dismay with how they had come. “Our goals were giveaways. They weren’t really created. It’s a big score line but we’re not very pleased with how we played today,” he remarked.
Unexpectedly, the second half began with the Fighting Maroons remaining in control. Their dominance in the game would have been almost supplemented by a fourth goal if not for Rieza’s heroics in the 48th minute
The UE goalkeeper pulled off a save from Saavedra’s second spot kick off the day, a product of a foul committed by Louie Polinag inside the box.
There was nothing Rieza could do in the 61st minute, though, as the Maroons grabbed their fourth goal of the game. Sanciangco latched onto a loose ball off teammate Miyagi and tucked the ball in from a difficult angle.
It stayed that way towards the end, but not without chances coming from both teams. Rvin Resuma forced a good save from Rieza, the closest both teams got to the fifth goal of the game. Full time soon came, with UP bagging their first three points of the season, enough for second place in the standings behind leaders Ateneo.
Looking forward, Gonzales wants his boys to play smarter. “We have to use our brain more. Maybe present some more tactical ideas. We have to think more,” he elaborated.
UP will return to action on Sunday against the National University in the 4:00pm kickoff game. On the other hand, UE will eye to grab their first win against DLSU. Their match will take place before the UP-NU duel.
