Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4) – Mendiola FC 1991 held off powerhouse United City FC to a scoreless draw to finally clinch a point in the league table of the Copa Paulino Alcantara 2022 on Monday at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
Mendiola unleashed its resilient defensive schemes throughout the game — a surprising performance for the underdog team against the league leader.
With the draw, both squads earned a point in the league table as United City continues to hold the top spot with eight points.
In the first half, Mendiola first got the clear opportunity after the referee assessed a penalty kick on the hard foul committed by United City defender Pete Forrosuelo to Cameroonian forward Sam Junior inside the box.
Mendiola team captain Jim Ashley Flores took the penalty shot, but the ball went above the net.
United City also had its share of goal chances in the first half, but the corners and long balls failed to land inside the net.
The second half saw the two squads intensely fighting for the ball in the hopes of scoring the breakthrough goal of the match.
The league leading United City benefited more from ball possession but still struggled to make a goal from the corners and free kicks, notably from Mark Hartmann and Kenshiro Daniels, with Mendiola goalkeeper Michael Asong doing some fantastic saves.
The defensive pressure presented by Mendiola also resulted to its own fair share of goal attempts, with the nearest coming in the 85th minute with a counter attack from substitute forward Stephen Appiah.
Forrosuelo gave a hard tackle to the attacking Appiah, much to the dismay of the Mendiola bench as no whistle blew in the very physical defensive play.
Hartmann headed the last corner of the game in stoppage time, but it produced no clear shot as the ball went to Mendiola defenders.
“This is a good achievement for us because they are a powerhouse team. This will boost us to pick up our first win and work even harder in the next game,” said Asong, whose team has lost their first two games in the tournament.
