CERES-NEGROS COLLIDES WITH THAN QUANG NINH IN AFC CUP

Philippine champions Ceres-Negros FC continues its AFC Cup campaign when it faces Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh on matchday two on February 25 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

The Busmen opened their campaign last Febraury 11 when they beat Cambodian champions Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC 4-0 at home to get leadership in Group G. Takashi Odawara and Joshua Grommen scored the early goals in the first half Bienvenido Maranon completed a brace to complete the convincing win.

Their opponents however didn’t have the same fate as an early sending off of striker Andre Fagan in the first half resulted to a 1-4 defeat against Indonesian champions Bali United who had their way even after being a goal down.

Ceres-Negros is expecting the return of Super Herrera who was out of the first match after recovering from a minor injury while Quang Ninh, who is littered with current and former national team players, will only miss Fagan in their lineup.

Both teams haven’t met head to head but were both part of the 2017 edition where Ceres-Negros won the first ever ASEAN Zone title of the competition. Ceres-Negros however has not won three of their last matches against Vietnamese teams in the AFC Cup.

Ceres-Negros qualified to the AFC Cup after winning their 2rd PFL title while Quang Ning qualified as the 2nd Vietnamese squad after Hanoi FC was disqualified from an AFC license.

The initial match was set in Vietnam but was moved to the Philippines as sports events were not allowed by the government for the month of February. They will play the Vietnam leg instead on April 29.

The Feb 25 match will be shown live on 5 Plus and Fox Sports 2 channels while streams will be available on the ESPN5 YouTube and the Sports 5 Facebook page.

Due to the COV-19 virus, spectators attending the match will be asked to bring masks as sanitation liquids as a precautionary measure. Fans will be scanned for their temperature and persons having temperature of 37.8 degree Celsius and above will not be allowed to enter the stadium.

http://ceresfootball.com/ceres-negros-collides-quang-ninh-afc-cup/

PFL - Global FC roster

Butuan City - 11th Balangay Football Festival

Prepare your team for this summer
11th Balangay Football Festival 2020
May 16-17, 2020
Caraga State University, Brgy Ampayon Butuan City

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10159533253764498&set=a.10151612346329498&type=3&theater

PFL: Global Makati spends big, signs Bahadoran, 6 others

By

 Adrian Stewart Co

MANILA – Former Philippine Azkals mainstay Misagh Bahadoran spearheads the bunch of players signed and returning to Global Makati F.C. ahead of the 2020 Philippines Football League.

In an announcement made through various social media accounts, the Global Makati management announced the return of the winger after going on a hiatus due to an injury. The last club he played for was in Malaysia.

Youth international defender Jordan Jarvis, midfielder Andrew Esswin, Ziggy Ae, Nico Quintana and Ryan Jarvis are also set to play for Global.
Yannick Tuazon has also relocated to the Makati-based team after donning the Kaya Futbol Club-Iloilo colors in 2019.
Global also announced the entry of their new reinforcements. They are forwards John Cofie and Jose Villareal, goalkeeper Alan Martin and defender Suleman Naeem.

The 26-year-old Inglewood, California-native Villareal was a homegrown player of the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the 27-year-old Cofie was a former youth player for one of the best football clubs in the world, Manchester United in England.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Naeem was a former youth player of another big football club, Liverpool, and the 31-year-old Glasgow-native Martin has a wide experience playing in the Scottish football systems.

Global Makati has recently made massive changes in its front office with Hong Kong Consortium Mazinyi Management LTD investing in the squad./PN

https://www.panaynews.net/pfl-global-makati-spends-big-signs-bahadoran-6-others/

Gayoso, SEA Games standouts join Azkals cadet squad

By: Cedelf P. Tupas

The Azkals Development Team (ADT) that will see action in the 2020 Philippines Football League season as a guest team is slowly taking shape following the commitment of several standouts from the Southeast Asian Games.

Among the notable recruits of the squad to be handled by Serbian coach Goran Milojevic is former UAAP MVP Jarvey Gayoso, who skipped his final year of eligibility at Ateneo.

Azkals team manager Dan Palami said majority of the players from the SEA Games squad have also started training with the ADT.

Palami has also opened the door for former national team players, including Curt Dizon and Marvin Angeles, who are trying to get back into top form as they wait for offers from other clubs.

In recent weeks, Palami said several promising young players have joined training, including Lance Ocampo from the GOM Academy of former national player Darren Hartmann, and Sandro Reyes, who was once part of the FC Barcelona Escola, the flagship school of one of world’s biggest clubs.

“This is one of the answers to the clamor to improve our players before they get into the senior team,” Palami said.

Also committing to the ADT are SEA Games standouts like goalkeeper Anthony Pinthus, Edison Suerti and Mar Diano.

Read more: https://sports.inquirer.net/386024/gayoso-seag-standouts-join-azkals-cadet-squad#ixzz6E4FXAe1L

Kaya FC–Iloilo Down Myanmar Champions for Dream Start in AFC Cup 2020

AFC Cup 2020 | Group H
Shan United 0 – 2 Kaya FC–Iloilo
Thuwunna Stadium

12 February 2020; Yangon, Myanmar — Kaya FC–Iloilo banked on an inspired second half to take all three points against Myanmar Champions, Shan United, on Wednesday afternoon at the Thuwunna Stadium. Goals from captain Jovin Bedic, and substitute Eric Giganto did the damage as the match finished 2-0 in favor of the Philippine club.

“The first half we struggled a little bit, but we turned things around in the second half,” said Kaya head coach Oliver Colina. “We got what we came for. It doesn’t matter if it’s two-nil, one-nil, or whatever. We got the three points, and that was our objective coming here.”

Although Iloilo almost scored in just the third minute of play, the bright start wasn’t sustained in the opening half. Shan United took advantage and took control of the tempo, and in the 26th they almost broke through. Free on a rare one-on-one Mike Casas needed to pull off a fine save to keep the scores level heading into the break.

After canceling one another out in a cagey opening period, things began to open up as the second half wore on. With the introductions of Eric Giganto and Arnel Amita, Kaya started to find a bit more pace in their attack. With just over 15 minutes remaining, Amita was brought down inside the box, earning a vital penalty, which captain Jovin Bedic casually tucked away.

12 minutes later, Arnel was involved again as the Philippine side doubled their advantage. Amita picked off the ball near the halfway line, dashed into the box, and managed to poke the ball into the path of Giganto who first-timed the ball into the corner of the net.

“The penalty changed the game. We scored that goal and the momentum changed. Shan United remained composed, but with all due respect, we’re a strong team also. We just played our game, got our chance and we took it,” said Colina.

“The feeling is great, especially to score here in Myanmar. They’re a good team. We saw them play before in the Philippines. Credit to my teammates, they worked so hard over the 90 minutes. Me, I was just in the right place at the right time and I scored. Actually I’m not looking for the Man of the Match. My whole team did well. I give the credit to them,” said Eric Giganto after the game.

The 2-0 victory places Kaya FC–Iloilo momentarily atop of Group H, an ideal position ahead of their home match against Tampines Rovers on February 26, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

http://www.kayafc.com/match/11026-shan-united-v-kaya-fc%E2%80%93iloilo/

CERES-NEGROS OPENS AFC CUP CAMPAIGN WITH 4-0 WIN OVER SVAY RIENG

Ceres Negros opened their AFC Cup campaign with a 4-0 win over Cambodian champions Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC last February 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. Takashi Odawara, Josh Grommen, and Bienvenido Maranon all found the back of the net after assists from OJ Porteria, Stephan Schrock, and Manny Ott.

The busmen came out firing early in the match after Odawara picked out the bottom corner of the Svay Rieng goal in the 12th minute. Minutes later, Schrock sent a cross towards the far post where Grommen did enough to put the ball past the goal line.

The Cambodian champions had a good chance to get a goal back after Jean Marie Mbarga was clipped by Grommen near the edge of the box in the 22nd. Brazilian Thiago Dos Santos stepped up for the penalty but Roland Muller came up with a fine save. The Ceres shot stopper guessed right and tapped the ball wide to keep the clean sheet.

Both teams battled in the remaining minutes but the busmen came out with the better chances. Robert Lopez Mendy’s one-two combination with Schrock was blocked while the defense while twin chances from Ott and Porteria near the end were blocked by the visitor. The half ended with the home squad carrying a two goal cushion.

The Negros squad again pushed the tempo at the start of the half and scored another team goal after a good passing sequence after a broken play from Ott and Maranon saw the Spaniard unleash an inch perfect strike to the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Maranon completed his brace after a set-up from Porteria allowed him to poke the ball past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Aim Sovanarrath and score the team’s fourth goal.

Sean Kane almost made it five in the 88th minute but his header off a corner bounced off the post. Moments later Porteria tried an overhead kick but his attempt went wide. Chhin Chhoeun had a chance to score in injury time but the shot went wide.

The referee blew the final whistle as the Philippine champions took all three points in matchday one. The 4-1 win by Bali United over Than Quang Ninh meant that the Busmen would take leadership of Group G. They will face Than Quang Ninh next on February 25.

All photos from Ceres-Negros FC/Janb Dayrit

http://ceresfootball.com/ceres-negros-opens-afc-cup-campaign-4-0-win-svay-rieng/

BUSMEN LOOK TO START STRONG IN AFC CUP OPENER

Philippine champions Ceres-Negros FC take on Cambodian side Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC in their opening match in the 2020 AFC Cup on February 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

The Busmen who recently concluded their AFC Champions League campaign with a playoff defeat against FC Tokyo will look to start strong against the Cambodian League champions.

Svay Rieng FC dominated the C-League and only lost once during their 2019 title run which earned then qualification into the AFC Cup Playoff Round. There, they trashed Laos’ Master 7 FC with a 7-1 aggregate win.

The buildup of the Cambodian club leading to their opening AFC Cup match was impressive after big wins against Selangor FA and Brunei DPMM make them the legitimate dark horses of Group G which also features Bali United and Than Quang Ninh.

Team Captain Stephan Schrock will see action for the Negros side after missing the ACL Playoff match with accumulated cards. Returnee Manny Ott will also be reinforce the squad with his recent transfer and will be availableon matchday one with the rest of the Busmen.

“I think we have been preparing very well,” said Ceres-Negros striker Robert Lopez Mendy who made it to the final round of the AFC Champions League qualifying. “I think we are ready. We are ready for the challenge we have. We have good players and we can still get stronger.”

Ceres-Negros Coach Risto Vidakovic knows that he is in a tough group in the ASEAN Zone but he sees the desire of the team to succeed in their fifth year of qualification in the group stages.

“The team has very high motivation to face the AFC Cup. We played already the last four times and now were highly motivated to start the game,” said the Ceres-Negros mentor.

The PFL Champions will also face Than Quang Ninh at home on February 25 dues to schedule change and Indonesian champions Bali United on March 11.

Kickoff is set at 730pm in Manila’s famed stadium. Match tickets are free and will be available at the stadium gates. The match will be shown live on Cable TV channel Fox Sports 2.

http://ceresfootball.com/busmen-looks-start-strong-afc-cup-opener/