In a crucial matchup that saw the landscape at the top of the standings change, the Green Booters crumpled behind FEU Tamaraws, 3-0, yesterday, April 23, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Clogged chances
La Salle tried to dominate the game early on, hoping to avenge their first-round drubbing at the hands of FEU. Despite their drive, the Green Booters were unsuccessful, taking non-stop knocks from the aggressive Tamaraws. Christian Peñalosa and Mohammad Almohjili saw chances to score through consecutive free kicks but failed to convert any. Mikio Umilin, who tallied three goals in their last three outings prior to this one, was on at goal—only to be stopped in his tracks by Ace Amita before reaching the box. This resulted in Amita receiving a yellow card for clipping Umilin’s heel, but the latter’s attempt at redemption through a free kick unfortunately misfired.
Twenty minutes in, the game remained goalless. The Tamaraws clogged all chances for La Salle, with five players in green and yellow putting pressure on Vin Dela Cruz and Almohjili, seeing the forwards fall flat to FEU’s pressure. The crowd had mixed reactions when Umilin built momentum for La Salle as he moved the ball to Peñalosa, who was eager to score the first goal of the affair but hit his teammate Dela Cruz on the ground instead. From then on, there was no shortage of careless passes in the Green Booters’ side against FEU’s pressing defense.
Both teams wanted to capitalize on the slim six minutes of added time in the first half. However, it was the Tamaraws who successfully rose to the top of the matchup, as Gio Pabualan converted a penalty, holding down the Green Booters at 1-nil entering halftime.
Static strikes
Wanting to take the battle for the top seed in its second half, the coaches from both teams relied on impact substitutions. DLSU’s captain Jovan Marfiga entered the field again after a long break due to injury and suspension, while the Tamaraws turned to Sherwin Basindanan. Just like in the first half, the Tamaraws succeeded in finding their flow in the game as Basindanan looked to make a play but missed a cross from the right. Martini Rey steered the ball back into the penalty box, where Karl Absalon finished it off with a toe kick that went straight in to give the Tamaraws a two-goal advantage against the still goalless DLSU, 2-0.
From that point onward, it was evident that La Salle failed to learn from their first-half blunders, with their crosses coming from the wrong angles as they decided to play it safe by not making any dangerous passes. Meanwhile, the Tamaraws kept charging as Basindanan managed to send the ball off the post and into the goal, putting DLSU behind at 3-0.
With the second half expiring, DLSU was looking to at least exit the game on a higher note. The Green and White saw a series of trials after a Peñalosa cross, a Rain Del Rosario header, and a skied strike by a struggling Umilin. In the end, La Salle failed to make FEU pay for their first-round thrashing as the Tamaraws closed the match as clear winners once again.
Looking to start their climb back to the top and make up for three major goals conceded, the Green Booters will battle the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Thursday, April 27, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
