Ceres , Pasargad battle for PFF Smart National Club crown

Karl Decena, InterAKTV

Negros Occidental’s Ceres FC aims to end its Cinderella run with a crown as it clashes with United Football League squad Pasargad FC in the finals of the Philippine Football Federation-SMART National Club Championship Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The title match is set at 6:30 p.m. after the battle for third between Kaya FC and Green Archers United Globe at 4 p.m.
Ceres has been on a surprising run in the tournament, toppling UFL contenders Stallion FC, Global FC, and Kaya FC on its way to the finals. Against Pasargad, which is not known as a UFL powerhouse, Ceres coach Freddie Lazarito said his team won’t take its opponent for granted.
“We respect Pasargad. Our biggest enemy will be complacency as we think this match is a won one,” he said.
National team member Joshua Beloya will banner Ceres, which has a pool of South Korean, British and local talents.
Pasargad coach Esmail Sedigh, meanwhile, admitted that his team will be an underdog coming into the match after losing four players — striker Emmanuel MBata, midfielder Charles Ujam, defender Jaham Taher, and goalkeeper Reza Ataei — due to accumulated cards that have resulted in suspension.
“Our backs are against the wall,” he said. “There were lapses in our concentration that led to the dismissal of our key players. We can only learn from this and move forward.”
Pasargad, which escaped the Chieffy Caligdong-led Green Archers in a penalty shootout in the semifinals, will lean on Filipino-Belgian Angelo Verheye Marasigan, as well as their Iranian players led by Reza Amirkhizan, among others.
The tournament champion will receive a trophy and a P100,000 cash reward.
AKTV will broadcast the matches on a delayed basis, with the coverage starting at 7 p.m.

INTERAKSYON