La Salle FC nears S’pore Cup semis

MANILA, Philippines - Ceres La Salle FC closed in on the semifinals of the RHB Singapore Cup as it thrashed DPMM Brunei, 3-0, in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup Thursday at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Stephan Schrock delivered a brace (26’, 76’) that was complemented by fellow Azkals mainstay Manny Ott’s opening goal (15’) as the Busmen gained a big headstart against the 2015 S-League champions.

Ceres La Salle, which played the last five minutes with 10 men following the sending off of Ott, would need at least a draw in the second leg on Sunday to advance to the semis against either Tampines Rovers or fellow Philippine club Global FC.

Tampines jumped the gun on Global in the first leg Wednesday over at Jurong West Stadium, 3-1, putting the People’s Club on the brink.  To salvage a place in the semis, Global would have to beat Tampines Rovers by two goals in Saturday’s second leg.

The Busmen pushed the game to the Bruneians from the get-go and it took them 15 minutes to find the mark, with Ott unleashing a precise finish. Eleven minutes later, Schrock went past a couple of DPMM defenders and fired a 20-yard drive home to double the lead.