MANILA, Philippines—A late goal from Jinggoy Valmayor propelled University of the Philippines to 2-1 nail-biting triumph over La Salle on Wednesday in the UAAP season 75 men’s football tournament.
Valmayor stunned the Green Booters’ goalkeeper with a quick hit in injury time which allowed the Maroons to forge a playoff for the other twice-to-beat edge in the semifinals.
Valmayor, UP’s leading scorer, also slotted the equalizer for the reigning titlist, which wound up with 25 points on an 8-3-1 (win-loss-draw) card at the end of eliminations.
Don Rabaya opened the scoring in the sixth minute but La Salle, which dropped to fourth place with 24 points on eight wins and four losses, failed to follow up.
Earlier, Ateneo regained the top spot and nailed the first twice-to-beat advantage in the final four, which starts next week, with a 3-0 victory over National University.
Midfielder Valentino Calvo of Ateneo drilled in goals in the 28th and 51st minute mark before Philip Gozali capped the win with a goal in the 57th minute.
Ateneo finished the elimination round with 27 points on eight wins, a loss, and three draws to its name.
NU concluded its first year in UAAP football with two wins, nine losses and a draw for seven points, which is good for sixth place behind winless University of the East.
Meanwhile, Jess Melliza scored his 18th goal of the season in Far Eastern University 2-0 win over also-ran University of Santo Tomas.
The Tamaraws evened with the Maroons with 25 points, and the playoff match for the second spot is set on Sunday at the football fields in Ateneo.