Ceres XI topples Pasargad, cops crown

MANILA, Philippines - Ceres pounced on an undermanned Pasargad side, 1-nil, to capture the Philippine Football Federation (PFF)-Smart National Club Championship crown at the Rizal Memorial football stadium Saturday night.

Beating one fancied team after another to barge into the finals, the Bacolod-based Ceres booters cashed in on the absence of four key Pasargad players, including starting keeper Reza Ataei and defender Jahambaksh Taher to pound out the victory and cap their Cinderella run in the tournament.

Ataei and Taher were suspended due to red cards.

Ceres earlier humbled three of the strongest teams in the United Football League, including Cup champion Stallion (1-0), league champion Global (1-0) and runner-up Kaya (3-1).

The La Salle Bacolod-based booters actually struggled in the first half but put their act together in the second half to pull off the victory with Korean import Byeong Jeong Yoon drilling in the winning goal off a mad scramble in the 56th minute.

“We didn’t play according to our game plan in the first 30 minutes.

That (winning) goal was not part of our game plan. We felt that we needed to score to break down Pasargad’s defense which just sat at the back in the first half,” said Ceres team manager Ali Go. “Our players looked tired in the first half.”

Ceres also had several missed chances in the second half but Pasargad failed to counter.

“I didn’t expect to score in the finals but I’m happy my teammates helped me. We couldn’t make it without the fans’ support,” Yoon said.

Yoon went on to bag the MVP award while teammates Joshua Beloya (Best Midfielder), Jae Hun Hyeon (best goalkeeper) and Keon Hyeong Park (best defender) shared individual honors with him.

Chieffy Caligdong, who recently transferred to the Green Archers United-Globe after almost a decade of service to former UFL champion Phil. Air Force, was the only non-Ceres player to win an award, taking the Golden Boot honors after registering a tournament-high four goals.