UFL to give all Cup ticket proceeds to Yolanda relief
The United Football League, the nation's de facto top tier of club Football, started charging admission for its games in Emperador Stadium for the very first time on Tuesday, with bleacher tickets going for P50 and grandstand seats setting fans back by P100.
But the league won't earn a cent.
On the day of the Round-of-16 action at Emperador, the UFL decided that all ticket proceeds from the remainder of the UFL Cup will be allocated for relief efforts for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.
The announcement was made at the games on Tuesday. A short moment of silence was observed before kickoff in both matches.
The UFL also asked fans to bring relief goods to the matches which they, with the help of LBC, will transport to the victims. Large LBC boxes were placed in the stadium to collect the goods. UFL director of Football Operations Ritchie Gannaban said that a large shipment of mineral water was donated on Tuesday.
The league will play two Cup games every Tuesday and Thursday until the final game on December 5.
Union Internacional Manila 4, General Trias International 1.
A second-half hat trick from Iranian talisman Shayan Jafari Dasjterdi vaulted UIM into the quarterfinals at the expense of non-league General Trias International.
After a scoreless first half which saw Dastjerdi come close to opening his account several times, the left winger found his scoring touch with a left-footed cannon from outside the box in the 55th minute. The unsighted GTI keeper, Hong Seong Wook, was powerless to stop the strike.
Immediately after the goal GTI coach Lee Dong Hun surprisingly took out Hong and replaced him with Perry Camba.
Just three minutes later Dastjerdi doubled the lead by outmaneuvering two defenders and artfully nailing a shot in the top corner past Camba for 2-0.
ALSO READ: NBA and its players give another US$250,000 for typhoon relief.
The thinking behind the goalie switch was made apparent after the second goal when GTI's Filipino player Dhan Orcine was sacrificed in favor of the gangly Song Woo. The UFL Cup only allows five foreigners on the park at any time, and Lee obviously wanted to max out his allocation of Koreans.
Song proved his worth by tapping in from close range after a center from Jeon Shin Seok to make it 2-1 on the hour mark.
But in the 75th Dastjerdi restored the two-goal advantage and completed his hat trick with a magnificent free kick that eluded a diving Camba.
Muhamed Hassan's looping close-range header three minutes from time over Camba completed the rout.
Union next play the winner of the Agila-Ceres round-of-16 encounter.
Pachanga Diliman 0, Forza Alabang 0 AET, Pachanga wins 4-3 via PSO.
In a match that showcased top-drawer goalkeeping, it was PD's Kim Versales who got the last stop, sealing a penalty shootout win by blanking Forza's Elle Cagayanan in the fifth round.
The victory by the Division One side negated a marvelous outing by Forza keeper Martin Villaflor, who single-handedly kept his side in the match with seven superb saves.
Villaflor, a former DLSU Green Archer now studying to be a pilot, had a terrific double save against Ariel Zerrudo and Nathan Octavio in the first half, a fine stop on a long-range effort from Ernest Appiah, and a glorious stretch-out palm-away on a Reza Amirkhizan free kick just before regulation ended.
Villaflor also stoned Nate Burkey in extra time from close range.
Forza could have snatched victory late in extra time but Stephen Burda's powerful free kick attempt in the 117th minute was denied by the crossbar.
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Versales was far less busy keeper, but he did serve up a top-class reflex save against Gerald Pacquiao minutes into the second half.
In the shootout, all of Pachanga's kickers, namely Nate Burkey, Anto Gonzales, Daniel Gadia, and Jayson Cutamora all found the back of the net in that order.
Shooting in the second round, Arvin Gaspe banged his attempt for Forza into the right post.
Needing a fifth-round conversion to keep the shootout alive, Cagayanan shot to his left, and it was read beautifully by Versales, who batted it clear.
PD coach Noel Marcaida admitted afterwards that his kicking order was determined in the center circle during the shootout, and that he allowed players who volunteered to kick to participate.
His side next faces either Loyola or Cimarron in the quarters.
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
