The PFL Sunday triple-header continued with Stallion Laguna and United City taking the pitch and sharing the spoils after one of the matches of the season. The kind the internet would have called “cinema,” ending in a dramatic 1-1 draw.
The Southern Steeds rejigged their lineup once again, with top-scorer Finn McDaniel off on international duty for the Azkals. They also welcomed back legendary captain Balot Doctora after a stint on the injury list. United City didn’t back off, however, and the game started with an intense battle in the center of the park, both teams slugging it out like prizefighters looking to win a share of the heavyweight championship.
Both teams also spurned several early opportunities. The Blackshirts struck first; Mark Hartmann picked off the ball about 15 yards from the edge of the Stallion box and found Paolo Bugas bombing down the right. Bugas sold Matt Nierras a dummy and whipped it into the box, where captain Ricky Sendra nodded it down into Troy Limbo’s waiting arms to crash it into the net in the 39th minute, sending the black half of the Rizal Memorial Stadium into raptures. Despite multiple attempts, the Citizens could not extend their lead and took the slim 1-0 lead into the locker room.
The second half saw more of the same – intense battles in midfield, with Stallion able to make runs at the box but the Blackshirts able to stop them by clumping up in the box to support the towering Henri Bandeken, who proved equal to all their attempts. The Pink and White continued to chip away, and despite some opportunities from the Citizens to extend their lead, the shoe dropped for them late on. Substitutes Theo Moraes and Jose Bezerra Dourado linked up from another slick passing move to knot it up in the 84th minute and set up a dramatic last 10 minutes.
Both sides then threw the proverbial kitchen sinks at each other looking for a decisive knockout blow. Stallion got more of the opportunities but spurned them, and after an extended stoppage period due to a momentary floodlight failure, both teams ended up even on the judges’ scorecards and shared the spoils.
Psychology graduate that’s been down the football rabbit hole since a kiddie camp in 1996. Once made a tryout for Manila Jeepney and a weekend consists of hand-wringing about Manchester United and Stallion Laguna. Can be found spouting opinions on X @FullyVaxxedJ
