United City FC captain Ricki Sendra bagged a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Mendiola FC 1991 to cap off Saturday’s Philippines Football League action at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The win put United City in 4th place, temporarily ahead of Davao Aguilas on goal difference, while Mendiola moved to 11th, level on points with 12th-placed Philippine Army.
Coming into the match, UCFC looked to bounce back after taking only 5 points from their last four matches. Mendiola was also coming off a poor run of form, having conceded 28 goals in a 4-match losing streak.
The Golden Boys made just two changes from their 0-0 draw against Davao Aguilas last week, while the Brave Men were yet again without their leading scorer Hiromasa Ishikawa, keeping seven starters from the first XI that lost to Loyola previously.
UCFC piled on the pressure early against the undermanned Brave Men, but Ariel Ngueukam’s header from a corner kick could only find the upright in the 19th minute. Shots from Paolo Bugas and Sendra within the first half-hour kept Mendiola keeper John Betanio on his toes, having made 8 saves by that point.
They would not be denied, though, as Sendra soared to head home a cross from Ziggy Taningco in the 33rd minute. They sought to double their lead before the half, but Ngueukam could not convert his chances.
Eager to erase the deficit, Mendiola started the second half brightly, with substitute Ali Ghamlouche combining with Sajed Mohebizadeh on a couple of occasions to no avail.
Yet United City kept their momentum going, eventually taking a 2-0 lead in the 81st minute. Substitute Darlton Digha pounced on an errant Mendiola pass, laying it off to Mark Hartmann, who set Sendra up for the finish inside the penalty area.
It was all UCFC by this point, but credit has to go to Betanio, whose saves kept the scoreline respectable. His acrobatic save denied Bugas a goal in the 87th minute, while substitute Ivan Ouano could only hit the woodwork.
Deep into stoppage time, Sendra sealed the match with a goal from the penalty spot, completing his hat-trick against his first-ever PFL club, having joined Mendiola for the 2019 season.
Up next for United City FC are the Wolves of Loyola next Sunday, while Mendiola FC 1991 is set to face off against Tuloy next Saturday.
Future chemical engineer and longtime football fan, Dann’s passion for the beautiful game has grown from the Miracle in Hanoi days, and he has been a Manchester United fan since. With a keen interest in the analytics side of the sport, he runs his own blog CounterPressPH, and has been covering the local game with Eat Sleep Breathe Football.
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