CERES Negros Football Club (FC) survived Tampines Rovers, 4-2 to continue their quest in the Asian Football Confederation Asean Zonal semifinals with a date against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) of Malaysia.
The Bacolod-based club will challenge the Malaysians in an away match on May 17 at the Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Johor Bahru.
The Busmen will play host at Panaad Park and Stadium on May 31 after securing semifinals berth last May 3 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.
Club director Ali Go said their do-or-die face-off with Tampines in Group G was a tough one.
“It was a very hard game for us. We were just mentally prepared for it,” he said.
“Do-or-die games are always hard but the team responded well. Everybody was prepared for the game.”
Looking forward to their next game against JDT, Go said the team must be physically, mentally, and tactically ready since the Malaysian side is very strong.
“For now, we have to ask the PFF (Philippine Football Federation) to re-schedule our games in the Philippines Football League as the matches are all too close with the Zonal semis,” he added.
The Philippine Football Federation has to help the Philippine clubs in the AFC Cup as Ceres FC is supposed to play at home against FC Meralco Manila on May 13 and against Davao Aguilas FC on May 17.
The other Filipino club which qualified to the Zonal semis is Global Cebu FC which will face Singapore’s Home United FC on May 16 and 30.
Playing with a bigger crowd of around 10,000 to 11,000 supporters of JDT, Go said that as professional football players, they should embrace this moment as they enter the bigger stage of the tournament.
“That’s why we play because we love the pressure of the games in this competition. Going against strong opponents bring out the best in each player and team. We have to stay focused and concentrate on the game at hand,” he added.
