AFC CUP: Global wins; Ceres draws

Global and Ceres-Negros got their 2017 AFC Cup campaigns off on a positive note with the Filipino sides picking up precious points against formidable foes Tuesday night.

Striker Misagh Bahadoran scored in the 39th minute as Global turned back Magwe of Myanmar, 1-0, at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila to join Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia, a 3-0 winner over Boueung Ket Angkor of Cambodia, in the early lead in Group G.

“We could have scored more but the players are still adjusting as we have some fitness issues especially the new players,” said Global CEO Dan Palami. “For the next game, we should be better.”

Unfazed by the partisan crowd at My Dinh Stadium, Ceres salvaged a point with a thrilling 1-1 draw against Hanoi FC at the start of Group F play at the Vietnamese capital.

It’s a huge result for the Bacolod side as Hanoi, the reigning Vietnamese League champion, had been tipped to advance from the group being the top seed. Only the top teams from the three groups in the Asean zone will advance along with the best second placer.

Spanish winger Bienvenido Maranon fired home from close range to give Ceres the advantage in the 49th minute, but the lead lasted only eight minutes as Nguyen Van Quyet equalized with an acrobatic strike that flew past Roland Muller on the Ceres goal.