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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Loyola Meralco Sparks FC and Pachanga Diliman FC snag the two remaining final 4 slots for the United Football League (UFL) FA League Cup after thwarting their opponents at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Monday, October 27.
The two clubs complete the top 4 of the cup and will battle it out on November 4 in the tournament’s semifinals.
Ceres La Salle FC took the first semifinal slot after defeating Stallion FC, 3-1, on Sunday, October 26, while reigning champions Global FC blanked Laos FC, 3-nil, to follow suit on the same day.
Meanwhile, Pachanga Diliman FC escaped the pesky offense of Manila All-Japan FC in extra time, 2-1, to book their semifinals appearance for the opening tournament of the UFL season.
Both teams went relatively silent throughout the first half by shooting blanks on either end until Pachanga’s Behrouz Khoshgavar broke the eerie goal-less drought on stoppage period to take the lead for his squad going into the half.
Manila All-Japan went on the offensive in hopes of equalizing the score line of the match. Their efforts finally get rewarded in the dying minutes of regulation as Yugo Kobayashi finds the back of the net off a striking corner kick.
Pachanga Diliman scrambled to answer on the other end during stoppage period of the final half of the game but nothing came through.
Regulation ended with both squads stranded in a 1-1 draw prompting the knockout match of the cup’s quarterfinal to go into extra time.
As the game progressed for the extra period, Manila All-Japan exhausted the remaining specks of energy in their tanks to pound the defense of their foes with a barrage of attacks but nothing came through the tough back-line of Pachanga.
Jeong Woo Lee surfaced as the silver lining for the tired offense of the Diliman booters as he finished a corner kick with a classy header to write the sentence that gave his club a semifinals appearance.
During the second match of the final game day of the FA League Cup quarterfinals, Loyola Meralco Sparks FC shocked Kaya FC, 2-1, to grab the remaining seat in the tourney’s semis.
Tempo of the game for the anticipated meeting of the two titans in the local football scene escalated quickly as Kaya’s Younousse Yaogo committed a foul on Matthew Hartman inside the box in the 23rd minute urging the referee to award a penalty kick for the Loyola side.
Sparks’ star striker Phil Younghusband slipped the penalty past Kaya FC keeper Nick O’Donnell to give his club a 1-0 advantage early in the match.
A few minutes after, Kaya FC’s offense responded with a goal on the other end courtesy of a long distance shot by Diego Barrera that took the defense of Loyola by surprise.
Several more outbursts from the opposing teams marred the remaining minutes of the match but the hard-hitting defensive postures of both of their back-lines negated any attack.
To finally put Kaya’s semifinal hopes to rest, a shifty move from P. Younghusband developed into an opening that resulted to his second goal of the match and notch the win for his club.
Consequently, the semifinals of the UFL FA League Cup will kick-off on November 4 with the titanic clash between Loyola Meralco Sparks FC and Global FC for the first match followed by the bout between Ceres La Salle FC and Pachanga Diliman FC. Both games will be played at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. – Rappler.com
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