2020 hasn’t been a good year for San Miguel.

After failing to capture the coveted grand slam in the 2019 Governors’ Cup, the Beermen headed into the 2020 Philippine Cup with great energy, a positive mindset and hungry attitude.

However, the only six-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the PBA, June Mar Fajardo, suffered a season-ending injury. That instantly took away their best player.

While the Beermen secured the twice-to-beat advantage in the first round of the playoffs, they may have lost some of their image of dominance.

Another dilemma hit San Miguel as after entering the PBA Bubble without the services of Fajardo and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, who opted to miss the Bubble because of family matters, and super sub Terrence Romeo, who had to leave Pampanga due to a shoulder injury.

However, they still finished the elimination round with a 7-4 standing and a twice-to-beat advantage in the Quarterfinals against Meralco.

Tonight, was the first game of that match-up, and it seems that the bad luck continues as San Miguel lost Game 1 and are forced into a deciding game on Sunday.

To make things worse, the Beermen lost to a rookie, as Aaron Black made his father and coach proud as he finished with 14 points and three rebounds off the bench.

This is the first time in the last five years that San Miguel will be heading into a rubber match in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Cup despite having a twice-to-beat advantage.

The last time the Beermen went into a do-or-die game in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Cup was last season, when they faced TNT in a best-of-three series. That series needed three games to determine who will advance in the series and San Miguel was able to pull it off in a tough battle.

The second game looks to be another tightly contested affair.

For the Beermen, they’re looking to keep their six-peat dreams alive and make history despite having one of the oldest rosters in the league.

The Bolts, on the other hand, are looking to make their first Semifinals appearance for the first time since the 2014-2015 Philippine Cup conference.

After an amazing Game 1, Game 2 is surely a must watch game for the fans.

Do you think Meralco can complete the upset? Sound off below in the comment section!