Rampant Ceres-Negros start AFC Cup group stage with Boeung Ket thrashing

The Panaad Stadium in Bacolod will probably never see a more one-sided affair in its existence.

Defending ASEAN Zonal and Philippine champions Ceres-Negros Football Club put on a football clinic, as they started their 2018 AFC Cup run with a 9-0 rout of Cambodian league winners Boeung Ket Angkor Football Club, Tuesday evening.

Such was the Busmen’s dominance that three players registered two goals each after 90 minutes of play. Takumi Uesato, Bienvenido Maranon and OJ Porteria ended up with braces, while Carli de Murga, Manuel Ott and Sun Sovannarith’s own goal rounded up the scorers.

Uesato started the show when he bypassed the away side’s goalkeeper for the first goal in the 15th minute. Maranon then doubled the Busmen’s edge with a header in the 19th minute. Ceres’ third goal arrived just three minutes later thanks to a tap-in from Uesato.

Determined to not take their feet off the gas, Risto Vidakovic’s men scored two more times before the interval. Maranon converted a penalty in the 29th minute after the referee spotted a blatant foul in the Boeung Ket box, while Porteria scored Ceres’ fifth goal with a right-footed strike just two minutes after.

Already up 5-0 upon their emergence from the dugout, the Busmen could have been forgiven if they simply wanted to waste time and defend the lead. Nevertheless, the players treated the 2,678 fans watching in the venue despite the rain, as well as those who followed the game by others means, with more goals.

Ceres’ sixth goal, though, summed up their opponents’ night. Sovannarith headed in a cross from substitute Patrick Reichelt in the 58th minute to raise the Busmen’s lead to 6-0. De Murga’s header and Ott’s long-range strike added in the 64th and 81st minutes added to Ceres’ tally, while Porteria scored the home side’s last goal and his second of the evening four minutes after.

Simply put, the Busmen were just too good for their opponents.

Up next for Ceres is an away trip to Singapore to face Home United in the Jalan Besar Stadium on February 27, 2018. Kickoff time is at 7:30 PM.