By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

Kawase Kota and Fernando Rodriguez each scored a goal at the Panaad Park and Stadium last night, lifting Ceres Negros FC to a 2-1 win over Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) in the return leg of their 2017 AFC Cup Zonal semifinal.
The win earned the Negrense club a berth in the Zonal Finals.
Kota opened scoring in the 26th minute off a free kick from midfielder Kevin Ingreso.
It was not until the second half when JDT equalized, with forward Gabriel Guerra scoring in the 67th minute.
However, just before end of the second half, Rodriguez was brought down inside the box, earning a penalty. The successful kick put Ceres into the Zonal finals, where they next face Home United of Singapore./WDJ