Mendy scores four goals in Ceres rout of Mendiola
Senegalese striker Robert Lopez Mendy wasted little time making an impact for reigning Philippine Football League (PFL) champion Ceres-Negros.
Playing just his second game for his new club, Mendy knocked in four goals as the Busmen crushed Mendiola, 5-2, on Saturday night to widen the gap of the league to six points at Aboitiz pitch in Lipa City, Batangas.
The Busmen shook off an early Ricky Sendra goal for Mendiola, thanks to Mendy, whose movement, strength and finishing inside the area proved too tough to handle for the PFL newcomers.
“My teammates have been helping me adapt to the style of play here in Ceres,” said Mendy, who was the top scorer for Kaya Iloilo last season.
“I’m here to help the team win another PFL title and I’ll do whatever it takes for the team to achieve its goal,” added Mendy
Mendy’s arrival has eased the load on Spanish striker Bienvenido Marañon, who was relegated to the bench for the duel against Mendiola. Still, Marañon contributed with a late goal from the penalty spot for a more convincing scoreline.
Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic served a suspension following his dismissal in the 1-0 win against Kaya last week, with deputy Ian Treyes stepping up to call the shots for the Busmen, who also kept their unbeaten record.
“It was a hard game but we’re happy with the result,” said Treyes. “We conceded the first goal, but the team showed a lot of character coming back and controlling the match.”
With the victory, Ceres improved to 28 points from 10 matches, six ahead of Kaya, which was set to play Air Force late Sunday.
Stallion Laguna secured its sixth win of the season at the expense of Global Cebu, 4-1.
