T’S El Classico time again for Cebu football and this time, the pressure will be on the young Don Bosco Technological Center side when they take on rival and top team Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in a crucial Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Ateneo, which won all its four games by an average three goals, leads the standings at 12 points on a 4-0 record. Ateneo also hasn’t conceded a single goal. On the other hand, the defending champion DBTC sits at fourth place at four points, thanks to that last gasp win over the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department last week.
As it stands, the two teams--which have always met in the finals of the Cesafi football competition--could meet in the semifinal round next week with USC-BED taking on the University of San Jose-Recoletos in the other semifinal.
USJ-R is second at seven points, while USC-BED is third at six points. But everything could change depending on the games today.
“The pressure is not on the Ateneo side,” said DBTC coach Glen Ramos, whose team lost to USJ-R in the first game and drew USPF in the second.
“My team motivation is to play patiently, challenge, and show discipline. We work as a team, especially in defending and attacking,” said Ramos, whose instruction in the last 15 minutes of the game against USC-BED spelled the difference.
Aside from taking on the no. 1 team, DBTC will also have to tackle an undefeated Ateneo squad minus two regulars--Vince Pacaña and Josh Asignar--who are both suspended on accumulated yellow cards. Ateneo is also without Julian Cabatingan, who got two yellow cards, for the game. But the no. 1 squad can afford it as win or lose, the Magis Eagles will finish as the no. 1 team.
However, a loss won’t spell doom for DBTC as it can still jump to third place since it has a game at hand against winless SMS-Boystown.
In the second game, USC-BED will take on USJ-R in another crucial match-up that could determine which teams the two will face in next week’s semifinal round. A USJ-R win over USC could assure it of a second place finish and a semifinal date with DBTC and setting the Warriors with a semifinal date against Ateneo.
On the other hand, if USC wins, it would finish at second place and USJ-R would drop to third and the two will tangle again in the semifinals. ML