Waiting
for the worm to turn
Pachanga and Air Force look
for the worm to turn in their own annus horribilis
by rick olivares
A game can turn following a
controversial call, a goal, an injury, or even a mistake.
For both Air Force and
Pachanga-Diliman, they were hoping that the endgame result would turn their
respective seasons around.
In Pachanga-Diliman’s previous match
against Stallion, one where they lost 3-1, the weight of losing and apparent
discord was for all to see at the Emperador Stadium when midfielder Boyet
Cañedo, upset at a teammate’s insistence on taking free kicks, refused to take
the final one despite being implored by Coach Bob Salvacion and teammate Anto
Gonzales.
It has been a difficult season for
Pachanga-Diliman, in their maiden Division One stint in the UFL. The merger
between Pachanga and Diliman has not been easy with the results have been
wanting. The losing has apparently weighed the team down to the point where the
game has been joyless and lacking in punch. The match against struggling Air
Force looked to be the opportune moment where they could turn around their
season.
For Air Force, it has been annus
horribilis. The cup title of 2011, while high memorable is just that, a memory,
as they have been rocked, battered, bludgeoned and shot down in all the
succeeding tournaments. The storied line up of that won championships in the
last several years is gone. It’s a young, talented squad but lacking in so many
departments.
Even before the game, Sgt. Edzel
Bracamonte, Air Force coach, former national player and current Azkals
assistant coach, a proud man accustomed to winning, could only shake his head.
“This is all I have,” he said with a trace of dismay in his voice.
Bracamonte, a frightful striker in his
time, shrugged and sat down and looked to his boys, waiting for the opening
whistle. “Let’s go, Air Force!” he thundered.
Air Force did play well. At least for
a half, they played solid attacking football. This was their best effort in
seven matches. Against Global, they were in a holding pattern only going on the
counter offensive when they opportunity presented itself. This match they
smelled blood where there was a possibility of an upset. They never allowed
Pachanga to get a rhythm as they pressed.
The tactic kept Pachanga on their
heels. In the first half, it got ugly. Not in the manner of rough play but the
on-field arguing of the Pachanga players. In one play, Marcus Lopez picked up
the ball ready to throw the ball in when Ernest Appiah, who usually throws the
ball in ran up the touchline and held out his hand for the ball. “I can throw
the ball inside the box,” pleaded Lopez who didn’t get a reply from Appiah.
At one point, midfielder Ousseynou
Diop opted to take the shot rather than pass the ball back. Alireza Jamali and
Cañedo expressed their dismay with Diop’s decision to which he fired back,
“What do you want me to do? There was a chance! What do you want me to do?
When Jamali failed to make a pass, his
teammates got on his case.
“This is a team that clearly has issues,”
remarked one observer from the sidelines. “They do not know their roles or have
not accepted it.”
When Diop, on a very similar play that
he got lambasted earlier for, scored in the 27th minute, there was
no celebration although two teammates came over to shake his hand.
Three minutes later, Air Force’s Ian
Araneta leveled the match with a well-played shot inside the box where he got
great position over defender Andrew Santiago. That got Bracamonte to his feet
as he punched his fist in the air. “Ganyan lang, boys!” he encouraged.
The Pachanga players’ shoulders
drooped. Goalkeeper Kim Versales, back after a one game suspension for a red
card, kicked at the turf. It looked to get worse when Lopez was issued a yellow for allegedly hitting PAF central back Martin Doctora who retaliated with a clothesline (Doctora was also given a yellow card). A few minutes later, Lopez accidentally kicked Nicolas Leonora on the foot at which the PAF defender fell
to the ground. Leonora’s older brother, Neckson, playing next to his brother on
the defensive line, kicked the ball at Lopez.
The referee showed Lopez a second
yellow then the red card banishing him from the game. But there was no caution
towards Neckson Leonora bringing Pachanga-Diliman head coach Bob Salvacion to
his feet. Surprisingly, no other Pachanga player ran over to Lopez’ defense
while Air Force players milled about the scene of Lopez’ folly.
At the half, Salvacion continued his
protestations to the technical committee to no avail. He continued to rail
about spotty calls and poor judgment only to be shooed away.
Pachanga fixed their broken midfield
in the second half with Cañedo finally asserting himself and Jay Eusebio coming
into the game. They played small triangles with Appiah linking up in the attack
on Air Force’s vulnerable left side.
At the 56th minute mark, Cañedo
slipped a throughball that Jamali was able to latch on to. He beat his
defenders and fired a shot that dipped under Kenneth Dolloso’s arms for
Pachanga’s second goal.
They had retaken the lead but there
didn’t look to be much joy. Jamali beckoned to two of his teammates to
celebrate on the goalline while the others stayed away.
As the game wore on, the nature of the
game turned ugly with Air Force players taking repeated shots at Appiah who
fell turf thrice.
Pachanga midfielder Jason Cunliffe,
who had sprung to life in the second half was seething about the rough play as
he thought about retaliating.
That all changed in the 87th
minute when Boyet Cañedo juked a defender before firing a shot underneath his
longtime teammate Dolloso (they were teammates in West Negros University,
Global, and the old Pachanga outfit). Cañedo fell onto the turf and this time
his teammates piled all over him.
When Cañedo broke the game open with
two more goals (90th and 93rd minute) for a hat trick,
his teammates began to celebrate with handshakes, hugs, and high fives.
Seconds after Cañedo’s third goal, the
referee brought the match to its merciful end. Both teams shook hands. Pachanga
repaired to the other side of the pitch. “See what you can do when you put your
minds to it,” threw Salvacion to his team. “If we play as a team, we can win
this.”
This time there were smiles that were
passed around. Winning does well for a team’s state of mind. They had stopped a
three-match slide to go to 3-0-4.
Over at the other end, Air Force
quickly and quietly packed their gear and left without so much as a huddle.
Bracamonte, his team winless in seven
fixtures and his face pained beyond description, filed out with brooding eyes.
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