THEIR home advantage did not work much this time.
Ceres Negros settled for a 1-1 draw with Home United in the first leg of their AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final matches Wednesday night at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
This gave the visiting Singaporean team a virtual advantage for scoring an away goal ahead of the second leg on Aug. 8 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in its home country.
Ceres surged to an early lead when Australian striker Blake Powell slotted in a penalty kick in the eighth minute from a foul given by Home United’s Shakir Hamzah.
The Busmen had a chance to add up to the lead but Mike Ott misfired in his attempt in the 22nd minute. Home United managed to level the count a minute later on a header by Isaka Cernak.
Both sides continued to search for the game-leading goal in the second half with Cernak testing Toni Doblas’ defense with a close attempt from the edge of the box. Ceres also had chances to take the lead but unable to get a decent shot.
The Busmen came close to snatching the victory in the first minute of the injury time when Stephan Schrock attempted from the left into the box but this was saved by the Home United goalkeeper.
Ceres was shorthanded in the match – and practically in the series – with Bienvenido Marañon serving a two-game suspension. The Spanish striker was even fined by the AFC.
Marañon “is a big loss for us, but I think the way our system is built, it’s not very much dependent on a single player,” said Ceres team captain Martin Steuble. “Someone has to step in ahead of the second leg.”/PN
