UAAP: FEU booters whip UP in extra time, take Finals game one

Far Eastern University needed extra time to take Game 1 of the UAAP men's football finals from University of the Philippines, with Jesus Melizza delivering the coup de grâce to end the match at 4-1, Thursday at the FEU Diliman field.

The win put the Tams one away from a title in the best-of-three-series.

The Morayta squad's top scorer joined the late scoring party in the 120th minute with an easy close-up tap from Paolo Bugas' assist. Four minutes earlier, Melizza had fed teammate Harold Alcoreza to beat UP keeper Nathaniel Villanueva inside a barely-defended box.

UP's Carlos Monfort forced extra time at the 89th minute, heading in the ball after it had bounced off an FEU player's head from a Michael Simms corner. But FEU's Joshua Mulero took his team back on top at the 102nd minute, 2-1, striking beyond the box after Villanueva punched away the ball

FEU struck early in the game, with Arnel Amita finding space inside a crowded box at the seventh minute to score past Villanueva from a Nicolas Ferrer assist.

The Maroon booters played without top striker Jinggoy Valmayor, who is serving the first of two game suspensions following a straight red card from their semifinals match against UST.

Game 2 of the UAAP men's football finals will be played on Sunday, also at the FEU Diliman field.

Earlier, FEU's women's team beat University of Santo Tomas 1-0 with an Ina Araneta header at the 82nd minute. - Roehl Niño Bautista / AMD, GMA News