Ceres, Global try to seal title berths

BACOLOD CITY—Ceres Negros and Global Cebu aim to build on their first leg advantage as they gun for finals berths when they clash with different foes in the Philippines Football League on Saturday.

The Busmen who beat Kaya Makati, 1-0, on Sunday on Stephan Schrock’s stoppage time strike, hope to get the job done at Panaad Stadium where they have lost only once this year.

“We know Kaya will do everything to win, but you can be sure that we can do everything to win as well,” said Schrock. “We don’t want to disappoint our supporters here.”

Global, the fourth seed, seeks to complete a stunning reversal against top seed Meralco Manila in the simultaneous kickoff at 7 p.m. at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Despite struggling for majority of the match, coach Akbar Nawas’ side still came away with a thrilling 2-1 win in the first leg thanks to late goals from Wesley Dos Santos and Pika Minegishi on Saturday.

But Tahj Minniecon also scored what could be a critical away goal for the Sparks, who only need a 1-0 victory to advance to the finals.

Aggregate scores will determine the winner of the two semifinals duels with the away goals rule applied in the event of a tie. Extra time will be played if ties are not broken after the two legs.

The semifinal matches carry a huge incentive with the winners not only disputing the maiden PFL trophy but also gaining automatic berths to the group stage of the AFC Cup as announced by the Asian Football Confederation early this week.

The PFL champion will also earn a qualifying spot in the top-tier AFC Champions League in January, but it will still have the AFC Cup to return to in the event that it fails to advance. The Philippines could have three clubs playing continental football next year if the PFL champion reaches the AFC Champions League group stage as the PFL third place team will qualify for the AFC Cup.