UFL Cup Quarters: Loyola blows out Army, Archers top Pachanga via PKs
Match reports of two of the three quarterfinals in the UFL Cup held Thursday. The other game was not covered because it overlapped with the Archers-Pachanga match. Stallion won that game 0-0 AET (5-4 PSO).
Loyola Meralco Sparks 5, Philippine Army 0.
Loyola repulsed Army with a workmanlike 5-0 victory at the University of Makati that featured a hat trick from Mark Hartmann and goals from Phil Younghusband and Jeong Byeong Yeol.
The victory sets up a lip-smacking semifinal date with Global on November 13. Global had earlier eliminated Kaya last Tuesday.
For Army, it was a sorry end to a UFL Cup campaign that started so brightly with a stunning 2-0 group stage win over Stallion. For the second year in a row Army goes undefeated in the group only to bow in the first knockout stage.
Meralco harried the Army midfield all game long, knocking the soldiers off their game and making it impossible for them to mount many attacks.
The Sparks took the lead in the sixth when Army's Azkal keeper Eduard Sacapano bizarrely went 15 yards out of his box to challenge Anto Gonzales.
The UP Maroon coach flipped the ball to a streaking Hartmann, who slammed it into the net.
Jeong headed home in the 32nd to make it 2-0.
Army protested a non-call on what looked like an Alexandro Elnar handball in the box just before halftime, but referee Ariel Montana refused to blow his whistle.
In the 53rd minute Army might have cut the deficit, but as he did in the group game against Air Force, Meliton Pelayo muffed a close-range attempt, heading off the crossbar.
With an hour gone, Sparks assistant Vince Santos was ejected, apparently for abusive language towards the officials.
In the 69th Phil Yunghusband made it 3-0 with a volley off a pass from Park Min Ho. Seven minutes later Hartmann drove a loose ball home for 4-0, and with ten minutes to go completed the scoring with another volleyed goal off a delightful cross from substitute Roxy Dorlas.
Meralco has now scored 25 goals in their last three UFL cup games, allowing just one in reply.
Green Archers United Globe 1, Pachanga Diliman 1 AET, Archers win PSO 4-3.
With a semifinal slot at stake for his pivotal penalty kick, Archer's Ayi Nii Aryee employed some trickery against Pachanga keeper Manu Saubach.
"I looked to the right side of the goal, hoping to deceive him into thinking I would hit it to the left."
The ploy worked.
Ayi buried the ball in the very spot in the net that he was looking at, freezing a confused Saubach on the line.
That final kick made it a 4-3 final for the Archers in the penalty shootout, igniting wild celebrations on the Nomads pitch.
It was a deserving win for a Green Archers club that was the better team for the 120 minutes of open play that ended 1-1.
Archers now reach the Final Four and meet Stallion, who also needed a penalty shootout to defeat General Trias.
Played during a soft rain in front of a few hundred fans, Archer's speedy defense put the clamps on Pachanga striker Freddy Gonzalez, while on the other side of the park, the Red Phoenix's hulking keeper, Saubach, made several big saves against an inspired Archers attack.
Archers took the lead in the sixth minute when Jonjon Melliza received a pass from the right flank from Tating Pasilan and powered the leather past Saubach.
The La Salle alumni squad piled on the pressure with subsequent chances from Pasilan and Arnie Pasinabo.
But against the run of play in the 33rd minute an unmarked Ariel Zerrudo picked up a loose ball off a free kick from Boyet Canedo and pounded it past Patrick Deyto for the equalizer.
Just before the half Pasilan might have restored the lead but Saubach made a great kick save to deny the San Carlos native.
In the second half Archers turned the screws further with Saubach once again called upon to stone Pasilan off a breakaway in the 54th.
Eleven minutes later Pasilan had yet another chance but a poor touch in front of goal gave the Pachanga defense enough time to neutralize the attack.
With Pachanga on the back foot, Joven Bedic was brought in for Ernest Appiah but he failed to make an impact.
With two minutes to go in regulation Pasilan could have scored a winner after Saubach sliced a clearance but Jason Cunliffe blocked the shot.
Neither team could convert any chances in extra time and so the game went to penalties.
Dodong Villareal and substitute Pat Bocobo found the net on their first kicks for Green Archers, but in contrast, the first Pachanga kick, off Gonzalez' boot, was parried by Deyto, and Jason Cunliffe clanged his hoof off the crossbar.
After Bedic scored, Archers' Dom Mensah's shot was well-read and saved by Saubach.
Ousseynou Diop and Pasilan were true in the fourth round, and Canedo kept the game alive with his partially blocked effort that found the net.
But when Ayi drilled the fifth shot home, it was all over.
Of the four Pachanga kicks that hit the target, Deyto stopped one and got his gloves on two more.
Saubach was heroic in goal for Pachanga, but ultimately it wasn't enough.
You can follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
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