Ceres FC waits until the last minute to capture the first leg

By Paulo Loreto Lim

An injury time goal from Ceres-Negros FC midfielder Stephan Schröck gave the visiting side a 1-0 win against Kaya Futbol Club-Makati yesterday in the first leg of their Philippines Football League (PFL) semifinal at the University of Makati Stadium.

The match saw an early attempt by Ceres midfielder Iain Ramsay go wide, while Kaya forward Jordan Mintah wasted a free kick attempt shortly after.

In the 20th minute, a Schröck attempt went over the bar.

This was quickly followed by another attempt by Ramsay, who was denied by Kaya goalkeeper Ref Cuaresma.

Nearing halftime, after trying to delay a free kick attempt, Kaya midfielder Miguel Tanton was shown a yellow and was involved in a minor scuffle with Ceres midfielder Kevin Ingreso.

The two clubs closed the first half tied 0-0.

With the second half underway, Ceres defender Carli de Murga was denied twice in the 50th minute, by both the post and Cuaresma, who managed to tap the rebound header out.

In the 54th minute, Ceres midfielder Bienvenido Marañón headed the ball over the goal.

As the second half neared its close, Kaya offered a series of attempts that went either wide or over the goal. The closest came in the 89th minute, when a header by Kaya striker Robert Lopez Mendy hit the crossbar.

Into added time, Schröck managed to get the ball past Cuaresma, earning the Negrense club an all-important away goal.

With the victory, Ceres FC goes into the second leg, scheduled for Saturday, December 9, at the Panaad Park and Stadium, with the advantage. If Ceres wins or draws the second leg, they advance to the finals.

In the other semifinal, Global Cebu FC beat FC Meralco Manila, 2-1./PLL, WDJ