Reporting note: this article draws on tiebreakertimes.com.ph; Score808 Live provides the summary and editorial framing.
The UP La Salle UAAP football fixture turned on one finish. Joseph Garces scored in the 62nd minute to give defending champion University of the Philippines a 1-0 win over De La Salle University at the UP Diliman Football Stadium on Thursday, handing the Green Booters their first defeat of the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men's Football Tournament.
The 21-year-old striker met a timed pass from Flor Tacardon to break a deadlock that had survived a goalless first half. Garces began the match on the bench, and his arrival changed what UP could do going forward in the second period.
Garces settles a match that stayed locked
Neither side created clear-cut chances before the interval. La Salle goalkeeper Iñigo Castro had already been tested in the 34th minute, denying Ramil Bation from close range to keep the Green Booters level.
The decisive moment came from the combination UP had been building toward. Tacardon's ball found Garces, and the substitute converted to put the Fighting Maroons ahead with under half an hour left.
La Salle pushed numbers forward in search of an equaliser late in the match. UP's backline held, preserving the clean sheet and the three points that mattered most on the night.
How the UP La Salle UAAP football result reshapes the table
The win lifts UP to 11 points and a +3 goal difference, enough to leapfrog La Salle into second place. Adamson University, idle on the day, remain top of the standings on 13 points.
La Salle drop to third on 10 points, their unbeaten record gone at the worst possible moment of the first round. The top three are now separated by narrow margins heading into the final fixtures of the opening phase.
For a defending champion that needed a result to stay in touch, the timing was as valuable as the performance. UP took the points without dominating the chances, which is often how title defences survive a difficult round.
Clariño on the second-half shift
Head coach Popoy Clariño read the match as a contest decided by commitment rather than control. "We weren't committing that much in the first half; come the second half, it was different," he said.
"It was a constant battle; we had to compete with every challenge, and kudos to the team. That's what we wanted to see: that our team can trade blows with anyone."
His second answer pointed at the same theme. "Like I said before when the season started, every game is a competition. Every team is a challenge; we accept them and respect them. That's what makes us want to be better."
What to watch as the first round closes
UP finish their first-round campaign against this season's revelation, Adamson University, at 2 p.m. on Sunday at their home pitch. It is a direct test of whether the Fighting Maroons can close the gap on the leaders.
La Salle, now third, meet University of Santo Tomas at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the same venue. A win would steady a side that had been unbeaten until Thursday, while a second straight defeat would leave them looking up at two teams.
The original report on this match was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
