Five-Star Servicemen Subdue Sky Blues

It was all the elements you’d not expect in a PFL match – being played midweek didn’t help matters; though mainly wrought by the weather, both teams got an extra 2 days to prepare, but both came in not at full strength; the rains also popped up on occasion earlier in the day and turned the field into a patchy bog. Both sides’ intensity was waxing and waning almost in the same direction as the winds were blowing this night. Moreover, the eyes of the fans were also glued intently on the streams provided by the league on social media – partly because of the novelty of midweek football, and partly in a bilious fascination to see what happened in the battle of the bottom between the old heads of Philippine Army and the young bucks of Manila Montet.

All this is to say that Montet was once again true to form and produced another insipid performance, losing 5-0 to an Army side that seemingly aged backward 10 years before our very eyes in moments, and yet looked every bit their age suggested in others. The first 20 minutes were actually pretty even, the Servicemen applying the kind of pressure they usually suggest to the club masseuse when they have their post-training sessions to relax their old frames, but wasteful shooting and some surprisingly stout defense from Montet kept them out for a while. Meme figure MJ Jones marshaled his men in sky blue well, actually pulling off a couple of good saves, but for the most part was let off the hook by wasteful Army passing.

The deadbolt finally was broken in the 20th minute as John Celiz found Joshua Gatinao on a lifted through ball from midfield, and Gatinao made no mistake, slew-footing the proclaimed Lord Jones and slotting it past his fallen form to make it 1-0 to the Yellow and Green. Army would then huff and puff and search for the insurance goal, with John Celiz doubling the lead in the 35th minute after a rasping shot from outside the box was bobbled by the hapless Montet netminder Jones into the net. More opportunities would come for the Servicemen, with Ago Ariola spurning a gimme in the 38th minute and skying it over the bar, as the halftime interval arrived with Army up 2-0.

The second half started off with a bang, as Montet was dispossessed after the kickoff near the box, and Ago Ariola was around to stick the ball in the back of the net to make it 3 for the Servicemen. Trench warfare ensued after this goal as Army kept creeping closer and closer to re-establishing control of the midfield, and it paid off in the 63rd minute as John Celiz profited off a midfield takeaway and a slick passing move between himself and Joshua Gatinao to make it 4-0 with a well-placed shot in the top left corner. MJ Jones suffered an ankle injury late on, but his deputy Shane Salino played well until the 75th minute, when another lost possession enabled a bombing run from the Servicemen and Ago Ariola was teed up for his 2nd and Army’s 5th of the night, which ended up being the final score. Montet did find a whisper of a second wind in the last 5 minutes but their overall lack of quality made it all for naught as Army vaulted into 12th in the table with that commanding win.