NEWLY minted back-to-back Philippine Football League champion Ceres-Negros FC channels its focus on defending its ASEAN Zonal title in the AFC Cup beginning today as it takes on familiar foe Home United FC at Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City.
A battle of two of the top teams in group play, both Ceres and Home United are out to emerge as the victor in the two-leg final to earn a spot in the Inter-Zone Semifinals later this month against DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC.
Today’s match marks the third time that the two teams are facing each other, with the Singaporean side having the number of the Bacolod-based team to date.
The two teams drew 1-1 when Home United hosted Ceres in their Group F encounter in February, before the Singaporeans won, 2-0, in Bacolod on Match Day Six to secure top spot in the group and leave Ceres having to qualify for the next phase as ASEAN’s best second-placed side.
Despite their recent inability to beat the visiting side so far, Ceres can take some encouragement from registering a crucial 2-0 victory over the Singaporeans at the same stage of last year’s competition, allowing it to win the zonal final on aggregate, 3-2, and advance to the next phase.
Ceres, however, will be sans prolific forward Bienvenido Marañon for both games in the zonal final after being sent off in their group match against Yangon United on May 16.
The team hopes other players would step up in the absence of Mr. Marañon, who has scored 10 goals in the tournament.
Just the same, Ceres remains upbeat that it gets to repeat as Zonal champion.
“We are excited and looking forward to the series. Our chance of defending the title is something big to the players and the club. We’ve had a good AFC campaign so far and we don’t want it to stop now. The team is eager to put everything out there and see where we will end up,” Ceres stalwart Manny Ott was quoted as saying by the official AFC Web site in an interview.
The first leg of the ASEAN Zonal Final between Ceres and Home United is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
