Ceres firms up lead in AFC Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine champ Ceres Negros FC cemented its grip of group leadership in the AFC Cup after outplaying Indonesian counterpart Persija Jakarta Wednesday night at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Bienvenido Maranon delivered an early header that proved enough to hand the Busmen their third straight victory in Group G and a five-point lead against their victims (four points).

“It was a massive, massive win for us, especially considering that we only play every three weeks as our (domestic) league hasn’t started yet,” said Ceres star Stephan Schrock, whose squad has played mostly in international competitions this year with the Phl Premier League getting underway only later this month.

“To stay undefeated at the top of the group is very, very good. What we need to improve is our match fitness but that’s hard because the league hasn’t started yet. It’s also hard to get friendly games in the Philippines so it’s a big challenge for us to get match fitness and in shape for 90 minutes of hard competition,” he added.