Bacolod’s Ceres club grabs AFC prime slot

BACOLOD CITY—From a provincial powerhouse to an emerging force in one of the continent’s toughest club competitions.

That’s the path taken by Ceres-La Salle in just three years as the Bacolod-based club notched another feat Tuesday night when they secured top spot in Group E of the AFC Cup after a 5-0 demolition of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Jamal at Panaad Stadium.

Playing their finest game yet against the travel-weary visiting side from Dhaka, Ceres put up a clinical display with Adrian Gallardo spearheading the charge with a hattrick that took his tally to eight goals in the competition.

“The goal was to make the knockout round and what comes after will be a bonus,” said Ceres owner Leorey Yanson. “But the players worked really hard to make the club stronger for this campaign. We want to keep going and keep fighting. After all, we’re not just representing Negros Occidental and Bacolod, but also the Philippines.

Another United Football League side Kaya also sealed its place in the Round of 16 following a goalless tie against New Radiant of the Maldives in Male.

While Ceres will enjoy home field advantage in the Round of 16 on May 24 for topping the group, Kaya which finished second in Group H behind Kitchee will have its hands full against Johor Dairul Ta’zim, the reigning Cup champion from Malaysia, a day later.

“We got the job done and now we can focus on playing the defending champions which will definitely be a big challenge,” said Kaya manager Paul Tolentino.