BATTLE FOR THIRD
THE inaugural season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) culminates this weekend with the first-ever final match to be played involving Ceres-Negros FC and Global Cebu FC.
After six months of regular season and semifinal play, the maiden PFL year comes to a close with Visayas-based clubs Ceres and Global battling at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium for the top prize on Saturday, Dec. 16, beginning at 6 p.m.
Ceres and Global wound up at second and fourth place, respectively, at the end of the regular season before mastering their opponents in the two-legged, home-and-away semifinals to barge into the championship game.
Ceres was a 3-1 aggregate winner over thirdseeded Kaya FC- Makati while Global fashioned out a narrow 3-2 victory on aggregate over top-seeded FC Meralco Manila.
For local football observer and writer Lorenzo del Carmen, that the first- ever final of the PFL is featuring a Ceres- Global encounter is hardly surprising, notwithstanding the struggles the two teams had in the season.
“I am not surprised that Ceres and Global made the final since man for man I think both have the most talented squads in the country. Their exploits in foreign competitions only helped them have the experience to knock out Kaya and Meralco in the semifinals,” said Mr. Del Carmen, who writes for local site Tiebreaker Times, when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the about-to-happen final.
“Simply put, this match will be exciting for local football fans because Ceres and Global have proven themselves not just in the local scene but also internationally. Ceres ended up 2017 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Winners while Global recently reached the 2017 Singapore Cup final. The talent on show will also be exciting to watch. Ceres has the likes of Stephan Schrock and Roland Muller while Global fields Misagh Bahadoran and Pika Minegishi,” he added.
Mr. Del Carmen said that if “The Busmen” play to form there is every reason to believe that they wind up as the league’s first champion.
“I think Ceres will narrowly beat Global. It has posted 1-0 wins this season over the Cebu side, which speaks a lot of Global’s capabilities, but I predict that Ceres will win the championship in a one-goal victory,” he said.
Meanwhile serving as aperitif to the PFL finals is the battle for third today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium between Meralco and Kaya.
While their PFL championship quest was cut short, both teams are determined to finish the season on a high note.
“It’s been an emotional last few days, [since the semifinal loss], but we are starting to pick up. We have to be positive. We don’t want to end on a low. We finished the league as top seed, so we don’t want to be seen as being fourth place after all the hard work we have put in since January,” said Sparks skipper Simon Greatwich.
It is a sentiment shared by Meralco coach Aris Caslib, saying “Everyone felt the missed opportunity but the players know very well that we have a commitment to the club, the fans, and our families to play our best.”
The Meralco-Kaya battle for third happens at 9 p.m.