UFL: Stallion whip Pasargad, Sparks stay on top 

UFL Tuesday saw another goalfest at the Emperador Stadium, with Stallions blanking Pasargad 5-0 and Sparks keeping the top spot with a 4-1 win over Pachanga 

Stallions thrash Pasargad, 5-0
 

It was Stallion FC versus Pasargad FC in the first game at the Empy on Tuesday, and right from the start, it did not feel like a contest. 
 

Stallion, currently 4th in First Division standings, blanked last place Pasargad, 5-0.
 

It took all of 17 minutes for Stallion captain Balot Doctora to score the opening goal, although the Pasargad keeper may have thought it offside. Sadly, less than 10 minutes later, Doctora needed to be subbed out and replaced by Naser Doroudian because of a left hamstring injury.
 

In the same minute, Nathan Alquiros was able to get Stallion’s second goal off of a Doroudian pass.
 

At the 40th minute, Pasargad got perhaps what was the closest they got to a goal until that point in the game as Hamed Fateh launched a shot from near the area of the box. The ball struck the crossbar, bounced on the line and out.
 

5 minutes later, Hossein Doustdar sent up another attempt for Pasargad but Stallion keeper Wilson Munoz was up to task, ensuring that the half ended at 2-0 for his side. 
 

There was a funny moment during the otherwise rather tedious first half. The Empy security guard assigned nearer to the Stallion goal inadvertently kicked the ball back into the field when he tried to prevent it from going out of the gate, earning him some cheers from the crowd.
 

In the second half, it was still an all Stallion affair. At the 57th minute, Alquiros got a second goal. At the perfect spot and time on the field, Alquiros, from a Belinga Blanchard pass, hoofed the ball in low while everyone was still in the air. 
 

2 minutes later, Doroudian made it 4-0 for Stallion. 
 

3 minutes of added time was announced at the end of the game, but just before the referee whistled the final, substitute Fitch Arboleda sent a ball to Meliton Pelayo on a beautiful counterattack. That goal made it 5-0 at full time.
 

With that win, Stallion draw level with Kaya FC in the standings with 21 points, although the defending League champions hold a goal difference of 8 while Kaya have 18.
 

Pasargad continue to languish at the bottom of the table with just 4 points, making them prime candidates for relegation.
 

Sparks still league leaders with 4-1 win over Pachanga
 

It may not look it, but Loyola Meralco Sparks FC have been struggling of late. Injuries and suspensions have plagued the current League leaders since late in the first round. Although most of their players are healthy now, Sam Bonney sat out last night’s game due to accumulated yellow cards while Simon Greatwich, Yves Ashime, Boyet Canedo, Val Jurao, and Park Bo Bae were also not listed as substitutes.
 

Pachaga PLDT Home Fibr FC have beefed up their roster, signing Second Division scoring dynamo Shayan Jafari, Korean national Kim Hong Bo, and NCAA MVP Raffy Cabug. Last Saturday, they drew with third-ranked Kaya FC 1-1.
 

In their game against the Sparks FC, Pachanga debuted a new white kit, which featured a little maroon collar and one maroon sleeve. But for some reason, the top and shorts did not match in their shades of white. That was also what the game felt like. Some things would just not “match” for Pachanga.
 

There were actually more attempts by the improved Pachanga very early in the match, but the Sparks finally got into the groove after a yellow card was shown to Pachanga goal keeper Steve Yambou. Yambou had come out of the box to challenge Matt Hartmann one-on-one in what, from the start, a physical match. 
 

A couple of minutes later, however, Reza Amirkhizan made the opening goal. From a couple of meters outside the box, Reza sent in a missile of a shot that no one saw coming. 
 

At the 21st minute, there was a chance for Sparks to equalize but Phil Younghusband skied a good ball from Hartmann. There was a barrage of attempts from the Sparks after that but none seemed to find their target yet. Fred Gonzalez had a chance off a pass from Phil but the shot had too much behind it and the ball went over the crossbar.
 

For Pachanga, Ariel Zerrudo came alive with two good attempts from the left flank, but he sent one to the side of the goal and one over the crossbar. 
 

At 35th minute, Yambou was sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Yambou had run out, meeting a James Younghusband attack and colliding with him in the air. But it looked like an extremely dangerous challenge, as the Pachanga keeper seemed to swing his elbow towards James' head, hitting his chin with the elbow and making his head snap back. 
 

The referee pointed to the spot and Phil stepped up to it and made the penalty kick, equalizing the game at 1-1.
 

But then, the game stopped as Pachanga Manager John Gutierrez charged down to the field from the grandstand to berate the referees. While he was up in the grandstand, Gutierrez was already shouting out his objections and even exchanged a few worlds with Sparks coach Vince Santos. Gutierrez was eventually asked by the match commissioner to leave the stadium after about 9 minutes. In all, the game restarted after almost 15 minutes, with Pachanga a player and a manager short.
 

7 minutes were added to the first half, but in reality, it was an hour-long half.
 

The stoppage was so long that the start of the second half felt like the beginning of the game again, but with Pachanga a man down. 
 

Being a man down did not seem to bother Pachanga very much early in the half, as action seemed pretty even, until the 61st minute. James made the most of a Pachanga defensive lapse, receiving the ball from Gonzalez and then sending the ball past Kim Versales, who had replaced Yambou. It was 2-1 for the Sparks. 
 

The game perhaps was not just one of the more physical matches but was already bordering on dirty. Some questionable calls and non-calls by the referee did not help the situation on the pitch.
 

At the 70th minute, Lee Joo Young was credited for the Sparks' 3rd goal, which looked offside from the grandstand area. 
 

Both teams sent in substitutions, with the UAAP boys making appearances. The Sparks sent in Paolo Bugas for Lee and Pachanga sent in Jinggoy Valmayor for Nate Burkey. Bugas, from FEU, is the reigning UAAP MVP. Phil Younghusband was later subbed out for FEU's Arnel Amita, who almost immediately chalked up an assist to Matthew Hartmann, whose attempt hit the crossbar. For Pachanga, UP’s Daniel Gadia came on for Reza. 
 

About 5 minutes from the end of regulation, Gonzalez capitalized on Versales coming out too early. The veteran calmly slotted in a pass from James before celebrating his goal against his former club. After the game, Gonzalez said that he did not celebrate his goals versus Pachanga — a team he also owned — before but that he had been with the Sparks for two seasons now, after all.
 

In the end, it was a brave stand for Pachanga, but the Sparks were just too much for them, as they stumbled, 4-1.
 

“Maganda yung umpisa namin,” said coach Noel Marcaida looking especially miserable after this loss. “We're still number 7, target namin makabawi sa second round.” 
 

Asked about Yambou’s sending off in the 39th minute, coach Marcaida said that he wanted to review the tape first, adding however, that according to the laws of the game, the keeper must always be protected. 
 

For his part, Sparks coach Vince Santos was happy with the three points. “It’s a pity that they had a sending off [though],” he added. 
 

“I hope what happened in the middle of the game never happens again,” Santos said about Gutierrez’ outburst. The Sparks coach believes that there are other and proper ways to address grievances, but not in front of the crowd and television audiences.
 

For his part, Gutierrez had this to say: “The Sparks are a great team. Vince is my friend, and Randy [Roxas, Sparks Team Manager and UFL President] is also a good guy. I’m sure the players are all upstanding guys too. They are potent in all positions. They don’t need any help from the referees [to win].”
 

Gutierrez clarified that he was not so much angry at the sending off but at the rest of the officiating, which he felt favoured the Sparks, citing specifically non calls on hand balls and softer calls on tackles.
 

“There have been too many games decided by referees.” - RNB, GMA News