Balamban, Cebu – The football team of Mandaue manned by booters from the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) and Canduman National High School made the biggest upset in the 2015 Central Visayas Regional Athletics Association (CVIRAA) regional meet when it prevented the defending champions, Cebu City Ninos squad comprised of players from the Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC), University of Southern Philippines Foundation and Paref Springdale, from advancing to the finals with a 3-1 beating yesterday at the Mayor E.S. Binghay Memorial Sports Oval.
Former Little Azkals Kintaro Miyagi of SHS-AdC started the ball rolling for Team Mandaue when his lob found the back of the net with still 11 minutes into the match.
In the 32nd minute, Miyagi fell on the ground when he was hit in the hip by the boot of DBTC’s goalkeeper Kenry Balobo in an effort to stop him from scoring his second goal. Miyagi, however, stood up to make sure the goal had gone in before crumpling again from the pain and had to be taken out of the pitch on a stretcher.
He, however, went back into the match in the second half with Team Mandaue holding a 2-0 lead over the defending champions.
Joseph Caderao of Canduman NHS made it three-nil for Team Mandaue in the 54th minute.
Ninos’ team captain Moiselle Angelo Alforque of DBTC prevented his team from getting shut out when he converted a penalty in the 65th minute. Alforque and Miyagi used to be teammates during their Little Azkals days.
With the win, Team Mandaue advances to the finals and will face Dumaguete this morning.
Dumaguete clinched its finals ticket via a 4-1 routing of Bohol Province.
Earlier in the day, Team Mandaue had survived a rough second half quarterfinals match against Cebu Province manned by booters from Alcoy and Madridejos, 5-1.
Twice, both teams, who also figured in a free-for-all in last year’s Aboitiz Football Cup, almost came into fisticuffs but cooler heads prevailed.
The Ninos, for its part, advanced to the semifinal round with a 6-0 routing of Lapu-Lapu City.
In the other quarterfinals matches, Dumaguete booted out Bayawan, 3-1, while Bohol Province ended the campaign of Negros Oriental, 1-0.
In the elementary division, the Ninos gets the chance to defend its title against Bohol Province after prevailing in the shootout 4-3 against Mandaue. The regulation had ended scoreless.
Bohol Province, on the other hand, advanced to the finals with a 3-2 edging of Cebu Province comprised of booters from Consolacion.
