Ceres, Global seal duel for PFL football crown

MANILA, Philippines — The regional rivalry between Negros and Cebu will ignite once more as Ceres and Global set a classic duel for the first ever Philippines Football League crown.

Ceres disposed of Kaya FC Makati in Saturday night’s second leg, 2-1, to win their semifinal showdown on aggregate, 3-2, while Global fought back from one-goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw with FC Meralco Manila and a 3-2 scoreline overall.

By reaching the PFL’s winner-take-all finals slated Dec. 16, Ceres and Global in the process earned the right to represent the Philippines again in next year’s Asian Football Confederation Cup.

Fourth-ranked Global completed its reversal over the top-seeded Sparks in the two-legged series with a come-from-behind thriller at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Meralco took a 1-nil lead in the second leg on an early Curt Dizon strike and consequently grabbed the upperhand in the series by virtue of the away goal tiebreaker but Cebu-based club managed to turn things around with Rufo Sanchez coming through at the 85th minute. 

It mirrored the outcome of the first leg, which saw Global climb out of a 0-1 hole and snatch the victory via Wesley Dos Santos and Pika Minegishi’s late heroics.

“With this team, you always get a goal back,” said Global coach Akbar Nawas, lauding his charges for “sticking to the game plan and playing as instructed.”

Meanwhile, it was Iain Ramsay’s magnificent strike 17 minutes from time that keyed No. 2 Ceres’ victory over third seed Makati in the return leg, guaranteeing the Busmen’s march to the finals in front of a delighted home crowd at Panaad Stadium.