By: Nicole Parallag
In a classic showdown between two neighbors, University of the Philippines outlasted Ateneo de Manila University, 3-2, to claim bragging rights in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Football Tournament’s first Battle of Katipunan, Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
With the win, the Fighting Maroons continued to lead the standings with 13 points and a goal difference of +5.
“I think the boys showed true heart and a lot of character,” said UP head coach Popoy Clarino.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Lorenz Tortona drew first blood for the Fighting Maroons just two minutes into the match, heading the ball into the net and giving UP and its supporters a dream start.
Ateneo, however, quickly retaliated. Ghanaian forward Kofi Agyei capitalized on a loose ball and took advantage of UP goalkeeper Fonzy Gonzales being down on the pitch to level the score for the Blue Eagles in the 19th minute.
Agyei then came close to giving Ateneo the lead in the 28th minute, but Gonzales redeemed himself by stopping the shot, keeping the game tied.
That miss proved costly for the Blue Eagles, as the Fighting Maroons regained the lead just before halftime.
Amid a scramble inside the Ateneo box, Liam Lampayan managed to put the ball into the net in the 45th minute, giving UP a 2-1 advantage heading into the second half.
Just past the hour mark, Florenz Tacardon delivered a perfectly timed pass to an unmarked Rehmat Sidhu, who finished clinically in the 61st minute to give the Fighting Maroons a two-goal cushion.
Blue Eagles captain Dov Cariño then found the net in the 64th minute, pulling one goal back and putting Ateneo within striking distance. Despite this, UP held on to secure the win and three crucial points.
“We executed the plans correctly. Coming from the game, we can go back to training and work on correcting the mistakes that we made. What we want to do is try and improve our game and then try to stay consistent with our next games,” added Clarino.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Meanwhile, Ateneo drops to fourth place with seven points and a +2 goal difference.
Both teams will return to the UP Diliman pitch on Thursday.
UP aims to maintain its unbeaten run of four wins and a draw when it faces University of Santo Tomas at 4:00 PM.
Meanwhile, Ateneo closes out the first round with a rematch of the Season 87 Ffinal against defending champion Far Eastern University at 6:30 PM.
