Roaring finish boosts Ceres spirit against Tianjin
Their firm faith in themselves in achieving the near-impossible rewarded with a monumental reversal over a heavily favored Australian club on hostile ground, Philippine champions Ceres Negros FC Busmen aren’t in their ambitious quest for a historic trip to the AFC Champions League group stage.
Fresh from their 3-2 dismantling of the Roar at Queensland Sports and Athletic Center in the second stage of the ACL Qualifiers, the history-chasing Busmen shift their focus on another heavyweight, Chinese outfit Tianjin Quanjian, on Jan. 30 in the final playoff for the right to enter the Champions League tournament proper.
“We’ll approach Tianjin with respect, the same respect we have shown all the other competitors we met but without fear and with clear belief in ourselves,” said midfielder Stephan Schrock.
It will be another tall order for the Negros-based booters against a Tianjin side reinforced by Brazilian striker Alexander Pato and Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel and just like with Brisbane, Ceres intends to make the most out of this opportunity to compete against a tough opponent.
“We have to take the game like this one (Brisbane); we have to enjoy it, try to compete with them. We don’t have pressure, that’s the thing for us. Whatever we do, if we get good results, for us it’s a plus,” said coach Risto Vidakovic.
Ceres’ upset of Brisbane provided a big boost to Philippine football, which is currently reeling from the disbandment of FC Meralco Manila and the withdrawal of Ilocos United from the Philippines Football League (PFL).
“Their achievement shows the competitive ability of Philippine football clubs,” said Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta.
The Busmen debuted in the ACL Qualifiers with a bang, beating Myanmar side Shan United on penalties in the first stage in Yangon before sustaining the momentum and catching a big fish Down Under.
“I knew we can beat Brisbane since the day we became champions (in Phl). I started thinking and believing about the win against Shan and Brisbane during the holidays,” said Schrock.
The Roar actually drew first blood via Massimo Maccarone’s 35th minute finish off a counter but the Busmen drew level via Bienvenido Maranon, who headed in the first of his two goals at the 43rd minute
Maranon put the visitors on the driver’s seat with a brilliant curler at the 65th minute before Omid Nazari made it 3-1 with a deflected shot that went in at the 75th. Eric Beauthac pulled Brisbane one back at the 86th but Ceres held tough until the final whistle.
“We absolutely deserve the win and we as a team are proud of this achievement. This is the biggest success in Phl club football history and I think also the biggest upset in the history of Australian football,” said Schrock. Members and supporters of Ceres Negros FC celebrate their upset over host team Brisbane Roar in the second round of the AFC Champions League Tuesday.