Andrei Gonzales came off the bench to level in the 76th minute as Ateneo de Manila University drew 2-2 with Far Eastern University in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men's Football Tournament at the UP Diliman Football Stadium on Sunday. The Ateneo FEU draw snapped a two-game losing streak for the Blue Eagles and improved on their first-round meeting, which the Tamaraws won 2-1 on October 25.
How the Ateneo FEU draw unfolded
Umi Abelarde put Ateneo ahead in the 42nd minute, and the Blue Eagles carried that lead into the break. FEU reversed the game quickly after the restart: McJay Neniel equalised in the 63rd minute and Jeorby Anito put the Tamaraws in front two minutes later.
Ateneo pressed for the leveller. Joziah Rance met a Dov Cariño setup but sent his attempt over the crossbar, before Gonzales — a rookie out of James Madison High School in the UK — found the net in the 76th minute.
Merida sees a first half won and a second half lost
Blue Eagles coach JP Merida said the target was the full three points and pointed to the swing after the interval as the reason his side did not get them.
“Our objective really was to get the three points, but then again, we played in the first half and dominated; going into the second half, we struggled,” he said.
Merida added that the performance itself gave him something to work with, while acknowledging there are areas still to fix.
“We played really well, but there really are some points that we need to improve on,” he said.
Santos rues the chances FEU let pass
Tamaraws coach Vince Santos framed the result around the openings his team created early and did not take, warning that the cost shows up in the table rather than only on the scoreboard.
“We had chances to score early in the game — several times — and we didn't,” he said. “So if you don't take those chances, then the other team will have a chance to score, and that's what happened to us.”
“Each game that we drop points, we have less of a chance to be where we should be. From now moving forward, every game is a must-win,” he added.
Where the point leaves both teams
FEU remained in fifth place with nine points, while Ateneo stayed sixth with five points. Neither position moved on the back of the draw.
Analysis: a point that settles little
This section is analysis, not reported fact. A draw of this shape reads less like a turning point than a postponement. Ateneo stopped a two-game slide and showed it can respond after conceding twice in quick succession, but the Blue Eagles still sit below the Tamaraws with a thinner points total. FEU, for its part, lost a lead it had taken inside three second-half minutes — the kind of swing Santos described as the difference between where a team is and where it expects to be.
What comes next for both squads
Both teams return to action on Thursday. FEU take on Adamson University at 4:30 p.m., while Ateneo face an elimination-threatened University of the East side in the 7:00 p.m. nightcap.
The original report was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
