Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) will be bringing the intense heat of their rivalry to the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium come Thursday (May 16) when the two teams clash for football supremacy in the UAAP Season 81 Men’s Football Tournament Finals, which will air LIVE on ABS-CBN S+A and iWant Sports at 4:30 pm.
 
Meanwhile, the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Football Finals will air LIVE starting at 2 pm for the battle between the three-peat seeking DLSU Lady Archers and the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, also from the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
 
Ateneo’s phenomenal striker Jarvey Gayoso hopes to bookend his career for the Blue Eagles with a title against their archrivals, who is coached by his uncle, Alvin Ocampo. Gayoso has dominated the sport by earning three Golden Boots for being the best striker since his debut in Season 78. He was the league MVP during Season 79 when he led the Blue Eagles to the title.
 
Heading to the Final Four, Ateneo has shook off a rough start and outlasted FEU 1-0 in the Final Four of a grueling 94-minute match thanks to a 70^th minute goal from their superstar striker after corralling a cross from junior midfielder Mark Nacional. Gayoso, fellow senior forward Rupert Bana, Nacional, and keeper Alex Arcilla will be tasked to bring home the trophy for the Blue Eagles when they meet their rookie-laden rivals at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
 
The DLSU Green Archers on the other hand have been saved by their rookies throughout the season, the latest being the pair of Jovan Marfiga and Shanden Vergara. Against the defending champions University of the Philippines (UP), Marfiga, a rookie defender, drew first blood in the 20^th minute off a free kick set piece. However, the Fighting Maroons’ King Miyagi refused to give up and scored on a scramble at the box to even the tally. With their Finals ticket on the line, Vergara took off and punished the UP back line off a long ball from mid-field and punched DLSU through to the Finals in the 77^th minute.
 
Football fans can expect an all-out war on the pitch as Ateneo and DLSU go for the crown in the men’s side, while the DLSU Lady Archers and FEU Lady Tamaraws dispute on the women’s division, this Thursday (May 16) in the main event of the UAAP Season 81 Football Tournament.
 
Don’t miss the scintillating action on the pitch as ABS-CBN Sports airs the UAAP Men’s Football Final Four matches LIVE on S+A, S+A HD, LIGA, LIGA HD, with streaming available at sports.abs-cbn.com and iWant Sports this Thursday (May 16). FEU-DLSU opens the broadcast at 2 pm with the UAAP Women’s Football Finals followed by the tussle between Ateneo and DLSU at 4:30 pm.
 
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