MANILA – Ceres Negros kept its unbeaten slate in the 2018 Philippines Football League with a 2-0 victory over Davao Aguilas at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Bienvenido Marañon and Mike Ott fired a goal each to lead the way for the defending champion.
Ceres stayed on top of the standings with 15 points on five victories after the Wednesday match while Aguilas followed with 11 points on three wins, two draws and a loss.
Aguilas turned aggressive early and had a chance to score when Angel Guirado sent a good ball toward Harrison Sawyer but the latter’s header was well defended by Ceres Negros goalkeeper Toni Doblas.
Ceres had their chances midway in the first half as Marañon slid into the box for a shot but the ball went wide. Manny Ott and Marañon linked up well in the 21st minute but Aguilas’ defense cleared the ball.
After a couple of misses from both teams, Ceres finally snatched the lead in the 42nd minute as Marañon ran into the box before unleashing a glorious chip over Nick O’Donnell for a 1-0 lead.
Aguilas had a chance to equalize early in the second half courtesy of James Younghusband break away from a pass by Sawyer but Doblas was there to thwart the attempt.
Ceres had multiple opportunities to extend the lead before finally succeeding in the 55th minute – Ott rebounded from a blocked attempt before slotting in a close-range shot.
“We know that they (Aguilas) are a difficult opponent. They gave us a hard time,” said Ceres Negros assistant coach Ian Treyes.
Ceres will have a break from PFL action as it prepares for the two-leg AFC Cup zonal semifinals where it will face Yangon United on May 9 in Bacolod and May 16 in Myanmar./PN
