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[av_heading heading=’Ceres Negros FC ends run in ACL playoff’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 1, 2018
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MANILA – Ceres Negros FC ended its Cinderella run in the 2018 AFC Champions League after losing to Tianjin Quanjian FC of China 0-2 at the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium in China.
Anthony Modeste scored in each half on Tuesday’s qualifier for the Chinese squad to advance to the tournament proper. Ceres Negros, on the other hand, was relegated to the AFC Cup.
Tianjin got aggressive on the offensive end early in the first half but Ceres Negros goalkeeper Toni Doblas was on point on blocking the shots. Stephan Schrock had the best chance to score for the Busmen but his hit was defended well.
Tianjin scored in the 19th minute as Modeste rose above the defense for a well-placed header. Schrock, Kevin Ingreso and Jose Porteria had attempts but all were off-target.
Ceres Negros had a close chance to tie the count early in the second half but Mike Ott missed the goal. Modeste managed to double the lead in the 57th minute with a close-range hit.
“Obviously, we played against a much stronger team today,” said Ceres Negros head coach Risto Vidakovic. Still, he is “very proud of my players because they gave everything like they always do.”
Ceres Negros had a rough road before facing Tianjin as it had to eliminate Shan United and Brisbane Roar in consecutive away games to become the first Philippine club to reach the penultimate qualifying match of Asia’s elite football competition.
With its Champions League run now over, Ceres Negros sets its sights in the 2018 AFC Cup where it will face Shan United, Home United, and the winner in the playoff between Boeung Ket Angkor and Lao Toyota./PN
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