Favorites advance into the 7s Football League semis

Men's Quarterfinals at the 7s Football League

Chalk was the flavor of the day at the Philam Life 7s Football League, with the top-seeded teams in the men's quarterfinals booking their respective tickets to the semifinals this past Sunday at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig.

Delimondo-Laro FC 2 - Real Amigos 1

In what was likely the game of the day, Delimondo-Laro FC pulled off a 2-1 win over Real Amigos.

After a scoreless first half, Gui Hasegawa's late goal secured the win for Laro, with Cedric Hodreal making numerous stops to keep things interesting.

The former Ilocos United keeper shared after the win, "In the first half, we realized that towards the end hindi nila nadadala ‘yung bola sa side naming, lagi silang naglo-long ball. Anton (Del Rosario) suggested that why don’t we go a bit higher, so when they throw ball, there’s someone there to meet the defender. It worked for us, we worked hard, and we didn’t give up, which is why we won."

Hasegawa was not supposed to play in the quarterfinals, but Laro was lucky that he changed his mind for this matchup.

Hodreal also provided his thoughts on the potential of the team, "You could see the quality in our team, a lot of them played for the Azkals and played in the national league. Since a lot of our players before won championships internationally and here in the Philippines, why not?"

With the Super Eagles as their semifinal dance partners, Delimondo Laro FC will rely on their collective experience and resiliency in order to book a berth in the finals.

Super Eagles 4 - Tondo FC 1

The defending champions flexed their muscles against Tondo FC for the 4-1 win.

Determined to add another title to their trophy case, they scored twice early in the first half and then continued to put pressure on their opposition, tacking on a couple more goals to ensure an impressive victory and a semifinal matchup against Delimondo Laro FC.

Head coach Danny Kross shared post-match, "The semifinals will not be easy, and we know that they’ll prepare for us. But at the end of the day, we have one goal – it’s one game to the finals. Our mission is to get to the finals and win it all again."

Ghana FC 4 - Futbol Funatics 0

Last season's runner-up gets to continue to their quest to avenge their finals defeat by defeating Futbol Funatics, 4-0 in the quarterfinals.

Futbol Funatics turned up the ante on the defensive end in the first half, limiting Ghana to just a goal, but they were unable to keep that up in the second, as Junior Sam's all-around performance allowed Ghana to score thrice to seal the win.

Reflecting on the match, Ghana FC head coach Ayi Bimbo shares, "First half, when it was 0-0, it was really, really scary because they were attacking, and we were holding back. So, I told the boys that we are better than this and we have to play our game." Bimbo hopes that they could sustain their momentum moving forward.

Sam adds, "There was some sort of awareness between every department. We knew how important this game is for us, so it was a must-win situation. Of course, it is going to be difficult, but we have the capabilities and the potential to go as far as possible in the tournament and possibly win this time."

Bohemian Sporting Club 2 - H&J All-Stars 1

Completing the cast of semifinalists are Bohemian Sporting Club, as they pip the H&J All-Stars, 2-1.

Bohemian Sporting Club scored first during the first half, but H&J would equalize late in the second half.

However, team chairman Jason de Jong took matters in his own hands, with the former Philippines international scoring the game-winner from the penalty spot.

With their upcoming matchup against Ghana FC in the semifinals, head coach Mikee Carrion shares, "It’s going to be the same approach every game, we’re not going to change anything. We’re definitely going to make a push to the finals and we’re going to give teams a headache when we’ll face them. It’s going to be an exciting match for sure in the semis."

de Jong adds, "I’m very happy and proud of the team that in the first season we already made an impact in this league. We’re very happy for the win and we’re going to prepare well against Ghana FC."

Youth League

It was the Under-5, Under-7, and Under-9's turn to take to the turf in the 7s Youth League with Sugod Malaya B and Kaya B notching impressive wins on opening day.

Kaya B defeated Kaya A (4-0), Sugod A (3-0), and G8 (3-2) in the U5, while Sugod B beat Sugod A, G8, and Mondo in the U7.

As for the U9, Bannister and Bohemian each secured a win and a draw, with Sugod B securing clean sheet victories over Sugod A, G8, and Marista.

Complete results in both the 7s Youth League and the Philam Life 7s Football League Men's Quarterfinals below:

7s Youth League:

U5:

Kaya B 4, Kaya A 0
G8 2, Mondo 1
Sugod B 0, Kaya A 0
Kaya A 4, G8 1
Kaya A 3, Mondo 1
Kaya B 4, Sugod A 0
Sugod B 3, Sugod A 2
Kaya B 3, G8 2

U7:

G8 3, Mondo 2
Sugod B 2, Sugod A 0
Sugod B 4, G8 1
Sugod B 2, Mondo 0
Sugod B 3, G8 0

U9:

Sugod B 2, G8 0
Bannister 2, Marista 0
Bohemian 2, G8 0
Marista 1, San Lo F.C. 0
Bannister 1, Sugod A 1
Bohemian 0, Mondo 0
Sugod A 0, Bohemian 0
San Lo F.C. 1, Mondo 0
Sugod B 1, Sugod A 0
Bannister 1, Mondo 0
San Lo F.C. 2, G8 1
Sugod B 3, Marista 0

Philam Life 7s Football League Men

Delimondo-Laro 2, Real Amigos 1
Ghana F.C. 4, Futbol Funatics 0
Super Eagles 4, Tondo F.C. 1
Bohemian S.C. 2, H&J All-Stars 1