Ceres sizzles anew, pips Kaya to enter finals

By Alder Almo

The Cinderella run continues as Ceres took down another United Football League giant in Kaya, 3-1, in the semis of the Philippine Football Federation-Smart National Club Championship on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The football club from Negros jumped the gun early on Kaya with two first half goals.
Jayson Panhay completed a well-placed pass by Joshua Beloya with a left footed looper in the 25th minute to put Ceres on board. Two minutes later, English striker Peter Long nearly doubled Ceres lead with a header but Kaya goalie Saba Garmaroudi sacrificed his body skying high to save the ball.
It was Ceres, which looked like the Division I club in the early minutes controlling the pace of the match.
The game turned physical to Ceres' liking.  The Bacolod-based club struck again near the turn with Korean Byeong Jun Yoon flicked in a header by his English teammate Danny Claxton in the 41st minute.
Kaya regrouped at the onset of the second half and quickly cut the deficit with Azkal Chris Greatwich finishing off an OJ Porteria assist five minutes after the break.
The equalizer came begging for Kaya  after that lone goal as Ceres tightened up its defense and Korean keeper Jae Hun Yeon coming up with save after save.
The dagger came in the 80th minute when Kaya's Masa Omura was caught tackling Yoon inside the box 10 minutes before time. Yoon's compatriot Gun Hee Choi connected the penalty kick putting the ball in the top corner for the two-goal cushion, which they kept until the final whistle.
"I couldn't believe we beat the three strongest Division I clubs in the country," said Ceres team manager Ali Go referring to Stallion, Global and now Kaya to their growing list of giant victims. "The right combination of players as well as the disciplined coaching took us here."
Ceres, the only non-UFL team left, will face the winner of the Green Archers United Globe-Pasargad match, which is underway as of this posting, in the finals next Saturday.