DAVAO CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL — They’ve put their bodies on the line, exerted all of the strength they have and the ones who truly deserved it emerged as the champions of the 2019 Allianz National Youth Futsal Invitational Mindanao Regional Finals.
Played across two days, the Mindanao Leg of the National Youth Futsal Invitational Regional Finals have seen quite a number of talents. Teams from the likes of Zamboanga, Cagayan De Oro and hosts Davao showed how futsal should be played and what character you should have while playing the game.
We now look into the highlight matches of the second day of the intense Allianz National Youth Futsal Invitational Mindanao Regional Finals.
Crocs FC vs Dipolog FC (Boys Under-14 Championship Match)
With the home crowd egging them on to win the tournament, Crocs FC came into the championship brimming with pride after winning two goals to nil in their semifinal match with Lianga FC who refused to back down despite getting a lot of pressure.
On the other hand, Dipolog FC shut out their semifinal opponents Culianan Red Corals FC via three goals to nil behind a goal from Jandonero and a brace from Villareal all in the first half of that game.
The championship match between these two team saw a standout performance from Crocs FC’s goalkeeper Matthew Lim whose been named the best goalkeeper of the U-14 boys division. He’s been the center of action as a lot of attempts from Jandonero and Villareal threatened their championship bid.
He got his moment on the final minute of extra time after Crocs FC were awarded a spot kick due to four accumulated fouls from Dipolog FC. Head coach Christian Ea gave Lim the honors taking the spot kick and he delivered with a powerful shot right into the top right corner of the goal to the delight of the home fans and his teammates.
After scoring, he managed to pull off an amazing triple save on the other half as Dipolog FC tried their best to get the equalizer. In the end, Crocs FC emerged as the champions of Mindanao for the National Youth Futsal Invitational.
Calinan FC vs Stonefield FC (Girls Under-14 Championship Match)
Both teams deserved to be on the finals as Calinan FC went away with a three-nil victory against Com Val Café Kat while Stonefield FC delivered a monumental comeback when they turned the game around against Pantukan National High School. They trailed two goals in the first half but they only needed an own goal from Pantukan to spur them back into the game where they won in penalties.
Calinan FC and Stonefield FC exchanged attacks in the first half but no one was able to take the lead. In the second half however, the girls in neon green got their first goal of the match a minute after the halftime break through Alexandra Javellana.
Calinan FC continued on to break the opposition’s defense and on the third minute of the second half, the U-14 girls’ division’s best player Janeica Fernandez after an exquisite through ball from Mae Evangelista to slot it past the keeper for their second goal of the match. They sealed their victory with six minutes to spare after Alexandra Javellana slotted in their third goal past Stonefield FC.
Pantukan National High School vs Baliwasan Red Corals FC (Girls U-16 Championship Match)
In the girls’ under-16 championship, Pantukan National High School ended the contest in the first half as Jean Templaza slotted in her hat-trick. She scored the first goal of the match on the third minute of the match after she intercepted the ball in the middle of the court before slotting in a simple strike past the keeper.
Two minutes after the first goal, Templaza used her weak foot to score past the Jillian Jalnaiz. They’ve controlled most of the possession and looked confident while kicking the ball around. A minute before halftime, they virtually sealed the victory through another Templaza’s goal.
Jean was tripped inside the semi-circle which prompted the referee to point for the penalty. Jalnaiz guessed it right but wasn’t able to keep the ball out.
The Red Corals pulled one back in the dying seconds of the first half after Pantukan’s goalkeeper punched it to her opponent who then tapped the ball into the back of the net.
They tried to get another goal back in the second half but Pantukan National High School defense just would not let down. They went on to win the U-16 girls’ championship thanks to the U-16 girls MVP, Templaza.
Corpus Christi FC vs PCT Alligators (Boys U-16 Championship Match)
In the most thrilling contest of the evening, two worthy teams faced off for in the final of the under-16 boys division after they’ve gone through a tough semifinal. The first semifinals match saw a rematch between Corpus Christi FC and Holy Cross FC.
They faced each other in the final of the Northern Mindanao eliminations where Corpus Christi went home with the victory on penalties. Poised to progress to the final, Corpus Christi FC dispatched Holy Cross via three goals to one in the semis.
On the other hand, PCT Alligators needed to square off against Crocs FC, another team from Davao. It was an intense affair that also saw PCT Alligators’ goalkeeper went down after an accidental knee to the back of the head by Crocs FC’s player.
Despite the injury, PCT Alligators advanced to the final through a one-nil victory. Everyone inside the Davao City National High School expected that the Alligators will go all out against Corpus Christi but the latter shocked them.
Five minutes into the first half, Michael Jerome Hojas scored the first goal for Corpus Christi. It was a magnificent play between Hojas and Dale Rojenn Anoya inside the box as Annoya lobbed the ball to Hojas who just needed to volley it past the keeper.
Just a minute gone after their first goal, Josh Ralph Go produced a stunning strike that scored their second goal of the match. Anoya took a quick corner which was met by Go who slotted the ball past the keeper and into the top left corner of the goal.
After the restart of the second half, the pace of the game slowed down a bit but this was good news for Corpus Christi who just needed to run the clock down. However, PCT Alligators pulled one back from the free kick to reduce the deficit from three to two.
All hopes were lost for the Alligators on the 10th minute of the second half as they conceded a foul that resulted to a spot kick. Anoya stepped up to the plate and powered his way past the goalkeeper to put the game into bed.
Here are the entire results for Matchday 2 of the 2019 Allianz National Youth Futsal Invitational Minanao Regional Finals:
U-14 Girls Semifinals
Calinan FC 3-0 Com Val Café Kat
Stonefield FC 2-2 (2-0 on penalties) Pantukan NHS
U-14 Boys Semifinals
Crocs FC 2-0 Lianga FC
Dipolog FC (3-0) Culianan Red Corals FC
U-16 Girls Semifinals
Baliwasan Red Corals 1-1 (2-1 on penalties) Watashi FC
Pantukan NHS 3-1 Calinan FC
U-14 Girls Final
Calinan FC 3-0 Stonefield FC
U-14 Boys Final
Crocs FC 1-0 Dipolog FC (After Extra Time)
U-16 Girls Final
Pantukan NHS 3-1 Baliwasan Red Corals FC
U-16 Boys Final
Corpus Christi 4-1 PCT Alligators
The Allianz PNB Life Insurance Inc., together with the Henry V. Moran Foundation and The Philippine Football Federation, has launched the ALLIANZ NATIONAL YOUTH FUTSAL INVITATIONAL.
This is a Futsal Tournament with two phases – local eliminations and regional finals. The age groups and categories for the tournament are:
14 under Boys (Born 2005)
14 under Girls (Born 2005)
16 under Boys (Born Sept 1, 2002, and after)
16 under Girls (Born Sept 1, 2002, and after)
Now on its 10th year, the Allianz Junior Football Camp has been renamed Allianz Explorer Camp | Football Edition (AEC | Football Edition), an initiative which aims to develop the next generation of leaders by bringing together young explorers from around the world to cultivate new skills, mindsets, and confidence — ultimately discovering their potential.
The program has benefited more than 600 young footballers between the ages 14 to 16 years from more than 30 different countries since its inception. This year, players from all over the world will meet in Singapore in July and/or Munich, Germany in August for the culmination of the 2019 AEC Football Edition, dubbed Captains of the Future.
Here in the Philippines, the journey to Allianz Explorer Camp begins with National Youth Futsal Invitational or NYFI. Regional Eliminations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be followed by Regional Finals, from where one (1) player per region or a total of three (3) NYFI players will be chosen to join the Allianz Explorer Camp in July in Singapore. Another set of three (3), one player per region as well, will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to train with FC Bayern Munchen in Munich, Germany in August of this year.
Let’s together cheer our futsal players to the Allianz Explorer Camp and let’s help seal their football dreams.
