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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Davao outplays Iloilo, wins 2nd straight title
BAGO City – Davao pulled off a 1-0 triumph over Iloilo to win its second straight PFF-Adidas Under-19 football crown before a big crowd at the Manuel Torres Sports Center here Monday.
Defender Glen Balaquina struck the game winner on the 40th minute when he pounced on a mad scramble in front of the goalmouth after Iloilo failed to clear the brilliant free kick from the left flank by team captain Renor Negro.
“I’m just happy that my teammates did not give up. We showed a lot of heart and character in winning this match,” Balaquina, who was later named the tournament MVP and best defender, said.
Davao was contented of being put on the defensive most of the time and was forced to play long balls to striker Ramil Sale with Iloilo dominating the midfield.
Skill factor
“Low pressure lang kami sa aming attack kasi alam namin mas skillful sila (We did not put much pressure on the attack because we knew they’re more skillful). We just played good defense to win this one,” Davao coach Ramonito Carreon said.
When Iloilo turned its attack up a notch in the final 10 minutes, but Balaquina frustrated Iloilo’s strikers with his stellar defense and was seen pumping up his teammates, who responded by clogging the middle and putting up a tough defensive wall to foil the Ilonggos’ bid.
“He (Balaquina) really played well today. He deserves to be MVP,” said Carreon, whose side went into the finals with a 4-0 record, highlighted by a 2-0 blanking of National Capital Region in the semifinals.
Showing no signs of fatigue from their 2-1 extra time win over Negros Sunday, the Ilonggos had their first best scoring chance on the 32nd minute when diminutive striker Reylan Britanya eluded two defenders only to see his shot go an inch over the bar.
Unrelenting
On the 34th minute, a Britanya cross to the far post was met by a streaking Peter Sobrido, whose volley went straight into the hands of Davao keeper Al-Adel Salida.
Undeterred, Iloilo continued to push forward and Britanya again caught the Davao defense off guard a minute before the break, beating the offside trap but his shot went wide at the right side of the post.
Salida, the tournament’s best keeper, was also instrumental in the win, making two crucial saves in the second half. He deflected another Sobrido volley on the 64th minute and parried Joven Bedic’s right-footed shot from 25 yards out a minute later.
With five minutes left, Bedic, the tournament’s best striker with five goals, dribbled and danced free at the left side before unleashing a drive, but Balaquina lunged to prevent Britanya a golden opportunity.
After the game, Iloilo coach Domingo Subo complained of a no-call by the referee in injury time, claiming that Davao had committed a handball infraction in one of the many scrambles inside the penalty box. (Sun.Star Bacolod)
(November 3, 2005 issue)
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