AFC Cup: Maranon hattrick propels Ceres to 2nd win

Bienvenido Maranon. Photo from AFC Cup Twitter

THU DAU MOT – Spanish striker Bienvenido Maranon bagged a hattrick as Philippine champion Ceres Negros subdued Vietnamese side Becamex Binh Duong, 3-1, to regain top spot in Group G of the AFC Cup.

Maranon struck in the first half, before firing two quickfire goals late in the second half as the Busmen showed grit and character to survive a huge scare for their second straight victory at Gu Dau Stadium.

Playing on enemy ground, the Busmen also needed a stellar performance from goalkeeper Roland Muller, who produced a string of impressive saves to keep the Philippine champions ahead in the second half.

The win increases Ceres’ tally to six points from two matches, ahead of Persija Jakarta of Indonesia, which has four points after a similar 3-1 win over Shan United of Myanmar early Tuesday.

Only the top team in the group is guaranteed to make the knockout phase of Asia’s second-tier club football competition.

The Busmen got the better chances early on with OJ Porteria, fresh off a brace against Shan United two weeks ago, finding Maranon unmarked in the area. The Spanish striker, however, could only head the ball straight at Bui Tan Truong.

Moments later, Stephan Schrock’s cross field ball was collected by Porteria, but Truong was alert to the danger once again.

Ceres took the lead in bizarre fashion in the 26th minute. With Ceres still protesting an offside call, Truong dropped the ball to the ground only for Maranon to nick it past him and fire into an empty net.

The home side came alive late in the first half with To Van Vu nearly equalising in the 41st minute when he lashed a shot wide from the edge of the area.

Truong had one more save to make against the ever dangerous Maranon, who couldn’t find the back of the net from a tight angle.

Showing some urgency, Becamex piled up the pressure in the second half but Maranon once again nearly had his way against the Vietnamese defense when he shot straight at Truong in the 53rd minute.

Muller was called into action in the 65th minute, denying Brazilian striker Wander Luiz from close range. Nguyen Anh Duc also tested Muller from distance in the 69th minute.

Becamex got its equalizer four minutes later when Luiz produced an acrobatic finish from close range after the Busmen failed to clear their lines.

Ceres’ response however proved impressive a minute later as Schrock’s cross was flicked by substitute Maher Karic to the path of Maranon, who bundled the ball home from close range.

The Spanish striker made it 3-1 in the 78th minute, getting on the end of Porteria’s deflected cutback to secure maximum points for Ceres.