Bittersweet Reunion: Gonzales leads Sparks over former club in UFL

MANILA, Philippines – Freddy Gonzales used to celebrate with Pachanga everytime he scores a goal.

But on this particular Tuesday night, Pachanga could only watch its former boss and leading scorer embraced by his new teammates as the Loyola Meralco Sparks booked a 1-nil win in the spanking Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill, the new home of the United Football League.

Gonzales tormented his former team with the game’s lone goal in the 22^nd minute to help his new team seize the solo lead in the league with a second straight win.

Gonzales, who led Pachanga to the Division II title last season with tournament-high 34 goals, received a well-placed pass from the returning Phil Younghusband to bury the dagger that pierced through the heart of his former team.

It was a bittersweet moment for Gonzales, who sold the club to Diliman, which finished second to Pachanga in the Division II last season.

“It’s tough. Normally when I score, I celebrate by doing my backflip and I toned it down a little bit today out of respect for my old team. I didn’t want to rub it in,” Gonzales told AKTV’s Aaron Atayde during a television interview after the match.

The win also marked the return of Phil and James Younghusband alongside starting keeper Ref Cuaresma from their national team duties causing them to miss the Sparks’ opening victory against Phil. Army last week.

Pachanga-Diliman, however, refused to roll over and die with that Gonzales’ goal as they came through with several chances to equalize in the closing minutes but to no avail. Pachanga-Diliman slid to 1-1 after opening the league play with a stunning 1-nil win over Kaya last week.