DEFENDING champion Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu may have lost the final but for me, both the Magis Eagles and the DBTC Greywolves are winners for how they played in the Cesafi final.
It was a match between two rivals with a long history of winning each. It was intense and physical but not dirty and both teams showed the spirit of sportsmanship.
The collegiate division, which had one player getting thrown out for punching someone, could learn a thing or two from how the two rivals played in the final.
Glenn Ramos, the DBTC coach, was busy massaging not only the legs of his players who were getting cramped but that of the other team; the players too helped out each other--regardless of the color of their shirts--who fell due to cramps. Such was the intensity of the match.
The scoreline may be one-sided but the match was pretty even and Ateneo was still right into it, even after that lovely 45-yard screamer by John Clyde Vitualla that caught the Ateneo keeper by surprise. Ray Barro had a shot headed to the top corner that was saved by JK Ceniza, while Leo Maquiling also had his shots at goal that was just a foot or two off target, including a teasing free kick that had Ceniza guessing.
Glenn’s son, Thomas, was also a revelation in the midfield; too bad his fancy rabona--kicking leg goes around a standing leg--didn’t connect with a teammate. He had a similar attempt in their first meeting, one that perfectly sailed past the defense to an open striker but it wasn’t converted.
The first match ended 7-0 in favor of DBTC and it’s a testament to how Ateneo has improved so much since that first meeting that the finals was much closer.
Aside from the exemplary showing in the field, what was also impressive yesterday was the turnout, which was the biggest in a non-PFL match this year. They were noisy and there was some bit of jeering too, but overall, the crowd—just like the two teams they supported—was pretty game.
The match was delayed a bit as center referee Archie Reyes wanted to make sure the DBTC supporters wouldn’t storm the field early, but I think when it comes to the Cebu Classico, we can forgive the supporters of whichever team that wins for storming the field, especially if it’s the final.