Air Force and Army battle to a stalemate
by rick olivares pic by brosi gonzales
One season later. One man down. Still
the same result. Air Force drew Army 1-1 in a hotly contested match in Group D
play at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The two military teams figured in a
pair of 2-2 draws in their two meetings in last season’s league play. In both
those matches, it was Air Force that drew first blood with Army seizing a late
equalizer.
In their cup meeting, Army showed
greater fluidity in their attack with superb midfield play and in their build
up while Air Force opted to look for opportunities from the long ball. But it
was Army’s more methodical approach where they worked those triangular
formations with pinpoint passing for early chances.
Boogie Margarse had a pair of
excellent chances to open the scoring for Army but the veteran midfielder and
national player muffed his shots including one where he headed in a shot but
was called offside.
But in the 15th minute of
play, in a virtual replay of the Margarse non-goal, Luisito Brilliantes beat a
gaggle of Air Force defenders when he slipped a cross to an open Laurence Bedua
who was left unmarked in front of the goal. Air Force keeper Tats Mercado had
no chance and Army was on the board first, 1-0, for the first time in three
meetings.
Striker Meliton Pelayo had an
opportunity to double Army’s lead in the 36th minute when he beat a
defender and skirted around Mercado who rushed out to grab the ball. But Pelayo
who only needed to slot the ball into an empty net misfired and the ball went
wide.
That brought up Air Force head coach
Sgt. Edzel Bracamonte who was livid with his team’s defense. In a simple
adjustment that turned the tide for the Airmen, Bracamonte moved winger Chieffy
Caligdong to a holding midfield position as opposed to his usual left wing
spot. The move stopped Army’s Relan Bretaña and Bedua from supplying the
wingers with crosses or throughballs. With Army stymied, Air Force seized
control of the match.
Ian Araneta equalized in the 46th
minute with a thunderous free kick from 20 yards that took Army goalkeeper Eduard
Sacapaño by surprise. The shot cleared the wall and quickly dipped towards
Sacapaño who tried to parry the shot but was unable to. One-one and back to
square one.
Controversy arose in the 53rd
minute when Army defender John Cain was sent off by referee Michael Barajas for
elbowing Araneta while battling for possession of a loose ball. Reduced to 10
men and fatigued from their relentless assault on Mercado in the first half,
Army nearly wilted under the pressure as their once tight defense cracked.
In the 72nd minute, in a
play eerily reminiscent of Pelayo’s botched open goal attempt, Caligdong found
striker Yanti Barsales who also ditched his defender. Like Pelayo, Barsales’
sidefoot went wide left much to the disbelief of all players and the crowd on
hand.
Army summoned one last energy for a
push as late substitutes Champ Baron, Jeoff Lobaton, and Rodrigo Betita gave
them some fresh legs but Brilliantes misfired on a close range volley after
Sacapaño targeted him with a long ball.
The match ended in a draw that was
hardly satisfying for both teams. Said Army coach Ricky Cain, “Yung buong Army
nanonood. Utos sa amin na panalunin to. Walang kababayan kababayan dito. Para
sa pride ng Army ‘to.”
Cain was referring to the roots of
many of the players from both sides which is in Iloilo but the inter-service
rivalry takes precedence over anything.
“I am disappointed in the result,”
said Bracamonte after the game. “We should have won this pero now 1-1-0 kami.”
Despite the draw, Army kept the top
spot of Group D with a 2-1-0 record for seven points. Army has one more match
to play and that is against Sta. Lucia.
Air Force has yet to play Stallion and
Sta. Lucia.
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