UFL: Stallions keep up fantastic form to extend lead at top

Despite having marquee player Rufo Sanchez suspended, Stallions didn't seem to miss a beat, putting away the Air Force by a score of 6-0, Thursday at the Emperador Stadium, to stay on top of the UFL.

The league leaders needed just two minutes before taking the lead, as Lee Won Hyung’s long-range free-kick bounced all the way through to the crossbar, falling down across the goal and hitting Air Force keeper Kenneth Dolloso. before going into the net.

The game then gave way to a  fiery first half that saw several yellow cards dished out for late and dangerous tackles, as players from both teams squared up against each other on more than one occasion.

After the break, Lee Joo Young cut back for Matthias Bonhevi in the 48th minute, before substitute Nathan Alquiros put away a good chance one-on-one with the keeper five minutes later. Three minutes after, that fellow substitute Hector Zaghi chipped into an empty net as the Stallions took a commanding lead early in the second half.

Stallions made it 5-0 as Alquiros tapped in his brace after the ball came back to him off the crossbar in the 70th minute, and it was 6-0 in the 86th minute as Matthias Bonhevi raced down the left wing to slot to Dolloso’s left and wrap up the win with the fifth second-half goal.

First half

The Stallions came out and immediately settled their nerves with a fortunate goal in only the second minute of the game. A free-kick from 35-yards out was floated in by Lee Won Hyung and went all the way through the crowd of players before bouncing up onto the crossbar. Kenneth Dolloso was caught off guard by the bounce and turning round to see where the ball had gone he deflected the ball into the net, though Lee claimed the goal.

Dolloso made a decent save in the sixth minute, diving to his left to parry a long-range effort, before Shirmar Felongco turned his man inside the area. Despite being somewhat out of position, Dolloso managed to get his fingertips to the ball to tip it over.

Later, Diego Barrera, took a long-distance shot and was unfortunate to hit the crossbar, the ball bouncing down and hitting Kenneth Dolloso as in the opening goal, but this time the ball rebounded off the keeper and away from goal.

A minute later, Park Bo Bae went into the book for nudging Ian Araneta over as the Air Force countered. Things got heated as Joebel Bermejo went in late and dangerous on Park Bo Bae, and as Joaco Canas was talking to the referee, Ian Araneta lost his temper and jumped in to push the Stallion defender away.

In the 31st minute, Jeremy Hohn pulled down Araneta on the right wing, resulting in the Air Force striker screaming in Hohn's face about what was said. A couple of minutes later and the Stallions could have doubled their lead as a free-kick was whipped in to the backpost and tapped just wide of goal.

Paul Concepcion then found his way into the book at the 37th minute as he charged into Mark Rivera with his elbow high. Dolloso then acrobatically pawed away a cross to stop it reaching the lurking Stallion strikers before making a great one-handed stop in first-half injury time, off a one-on-one, to ensure the Air Force went into the break one goal behind. They didn't go peacefully though, as Stallion and Air Force players squared up against each other again, when Bermejo went into the back of Jeremy Hohn in a scramble for the ball.


Second half

At the break, Nathan Alquiros and Hector Zaghi took to the field in place of Mark Rivera and Diego Barrera and the changes couldn’t have worked better. Lee Joo Young was found on the left wing in space to fly down the field and cut the ball back for Matthias Bonhevi, whose shot trickled in at the 48th minute, before both substitutes got on the scoresheet.

Nathan Alquiros got his fifth goal of the season, despite getting almost upended on several occasions. But he kept his feet to get free inside the box and slam the ball past Dolloso with his left foot in the 53rd minute, to put his team 3-0 up.

Then in the 56th minute Kenneth Dolloso flew out of his area to try and get to a through ball first, but as both the goalkeeper and Hector Zaghi missed the ball, Zaghi was presented with an open goal and floated the ball into the net for a 4-0 tally to kill off the game.

It could have been five when Lee Joo Young was one-on-one with the keeper, but he decided to try and lay the ball of his teammate, only for Bermejo to intercept the pass and clear the ball away. It was Lee’s last action as he came off for Jessy Martindale in the 69th minute.

Stallions made it 5-0 as Nathan Alquiros smacked into the empty net after Dolloso had turned a low cross onto the crossbar. That rebounded to the substitute for his brace in the 70th minute, his sixth overall in the last six games.

Stallions then hit the crossbar for the fourth time as more incisive passing led a forward to clip onto the bar with his first touch, while Dolloso could only watch, before Bonhevi scored his second of the game to cap the 6-0 victory. Fed through on the left wing he confidently slotted beyond an outstretched Dolloso as the Stallions’ ability to break down the wings was the difference in the second half.

What’s next for the teams

Both sides will be in action on May 23 with the Stallions five points ahead of Global, who have a game in hand, and seven points ahead of Loyola, who don’t. That’s ahead of a mouthwatering trio of games which will decide the league title, as May 28 sees Global against Stallions, before Loyola face Global on June 4 and Stallion on June 11.

The Air Force, meanwhile, put in a decent showing in a game they were never expected to get anything from. After going through only two games in the first round of fixtures without having player(s) sent off, the Air Force have had only one player sent off in these first five games of the second round.
 
The physicality in this game notwithstanding, they have started to play more football, and less cynically, it’s no coincidence their two victories have come during this period as they remain two points ahead of the Army. They have a good chance of finishing above their Armed Forces rival to avoid automatic relegation, though given that they're five points behind the eighth-placed Archers, the relegation playoff is another matter. - AMD, GMA News