PFF Club Championship: Ceres crowned champions with win over PSG

 

Pasargad hit the bar in the first half before Yoon Byeong Jun profited from defensive errors to sweep the ball in the back of the net in the 56th minute of the game, for the only goal of the game.

 

The game was very physical but Bacolod-based Ceres managed to complete an amazing run in the National Championships to beat four of the best teams Manila has to offer, seeing out this final match against Pasargad, who were without four players for the Final. [Related: Pasargad beat Green Archers on penalties ]

 

Pasargad were missing Reza Ataei and Jahambaksh Taher after they took their shirts off during the semifinal penalty shootout to receive their second yellow cards. Emmanuel Mbata was sent off during normal time of that game. Charles Ujam also received one too many yellow cards over the course of the tournament and was suspended for the final.

 

Two goalkeepers, one cup

 

Much of this game though revolved around the tale of two goalkeepers as Jan Hun Hyeon in goal for Ceres was eventually given the Golden Glove trophy for his performances during the competition, while this was Ricardo Padilla’s first competitive game as a goalkeeper. 

 

With their usual keeper Reza Ataei suspended, Pasargad fielded Padilla who spoke about his training to be a goalkeeper over the last few months in a recent episode of FTW. 

 

The game itself started with an early penalty shot as the Ceres striker Peter Long was brought down in the area. With nothing given, Ceres still continued to get the upper hand with Jayson Panhay’s corner met by the head of Danny Claxton but going just wide. 

 

In the 11th minute Park Keon Hyeun started the physical play as he was first almost brought down himself but retaliated by fouling two Pasargad players in quick succession, eventually hacking the leg of Hamed Hajmandi. For the referee it was third time lucky as he logged the third foul but not the preceding two.

 

Normally a left back, Ricardo Padilla replaced the suspended Reza Ataei in goal for Pasargad, and seemed understandably nervy at times in his first game as a goalkeeper. Yoon Byeong Jun rifled a shot at the keeper which rebounded off his chest but Padilla gathered the loose ball quickly.

 

Kim Jung Mook tested Padilla further, trying to catch him out by curling in a free-kick from 35 yards out to the top corner, before the former Philippine Homeless World Cup player punched away a Theyes free-kick. Jayson Panhay’s corner was then hit wide by Yoon Byeong Jun before another Theyes free-kick was curled in, and as Padilla missed the punch, Danny Claxton just couldn’t reach the ball to convert the chance. 

 

Yet after all the pressure Padilla was put under, it was Jan who came closest to picking the ball out of his net when Pasargad’s corner was cleared away into the path of Younousse Yaogo who fired at goal. 

 

The ball cracked off the woodwork to the dismay of their fans in a stadium three-quarters full in the Grandstand before Promise Jolomi was brought on for Pasargad before the half-time whistle.  

 

Second half

 

Both teams made changes at the break with Jay Baguiro coming on for Jayson Panhay and Paul Concepcion replacing Michael Nelson for Pasargad. Angelo Marasigan hit a free-kick just over the bar before Vasseba Toure heated things up with a dangerous two footed challenge. Catching the man he could easily have been given a red card for the tackle but received just a yellow.

 

For Ceres, this didn’t prove costly, though, as they scored soon after. Ricardo Padilla came to punch a corner but couldn’t deal with the ball and it fell to Yoon inside the area. He took a touch past his man and slotted the ball away with Padilla still out of position to give Ceres the lead in the 56th minute.

 

Padilla could have doubled that lead moments later after Choi Gun He was brought on, as he controlled a long ball from the goalkeeper and was through the Pasargad defense, but shot wide from a one-on-one scenario.

 

Jason Cordova was then fouled, but he received the yellow card for reacting badly to the foul as the game continued to be played on a very physical level. They almost squandered their lead there, though, as the free-kick was played back to the goalie, without the defenders checking where the keeper was. 

 

Out of his goal, Jan had to race for the ball as Cordova turned his back on the play, and while he got to the ball first he received a hard tackle from Promise Jolomi, who got booked for the foul.

 

In the 66th minute Peter Long stole the ball on the right wing from Gerald Orcullo and laid it off to Baguiro, but the substitute couldn’t hit the target from inside the area to wrap up the game. 

 

Orcullo himself could have been sent off shortly after as he slid in high on his man but the referee didn’t even give a free-kick for the dangerous, uncontrolled tackle. 

 

It seemed as if the referees were being far too lenient to compensate for the card happy semifinal of Pasargad the previous week.

 

Pasargad’s best chance to equalize came when Reza Amirkhizan played a good through ball for Marasigan in the 71st minute, but always too far wide the twenty year old could only shoot over. 

 

Amirkhizan then got into a shoving match with Joshua Beloya, both pushing each other repeatedly in the chest, yet the referee somewhat confusingly gave neither of them a yellow card.

 

Even a minute later as Amirkhizan pushed over Ceres’ Mook a free-kick but no card was again the decision.

 

After several more blatant fouls, Ceres managed to see out the game, and avoid injuries, to be crowned the National Club Champions.  

 

Ceres, champions of the Philippines

 

Ceres also dominated the individual awards too as Park Keon Hyeung won the best defender award and Joshua Beloya won best midfielder. Their midfielder, Yoon Byeong Jun won the Most Valuable Player award.

 

Chieffy Caligdong’s four goals were enough for him to claim the Golden Boot award. Cheiffy’s team, the Green Archers, won the Fairplay Award.

 

In the widest football competition in the Philippines, Ceres have won the National Club Championships. Speculation will begin into whether the team will join the UFL and compete in the biggest market for club football as Ceres showed they could more than swim with sharks, defeating UFL Cup Champions Stallion FC and UFL Champions Global before edging Pasargad here.  - ELR/AMD, GMA News