Ceres completes Cinderella run, bags PFF Nat'l Club crown

Byeung Jun Yoon covered his face in disbelief, and the party was on for Ceres FC.

Thanks to the Korean striker’s nifty goal in the 56th minute, the Bacolod-based Ceres FC completed its Cinderella run with a 1-0 victory over short-handed Pasargad FC Saturday night to clinch the Smart-PFF National Club Championships crown at the Rizal Memorial football stadium.

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Hardly getting a second look heading into the nationwide tourney, Ceres FC played the underdog role to the hilt, upstaging several powerhouse United Football League sides–Stallion FC (Round of 16), Global FC (quarterfinals) and Kaya (semis)–before capping it with a methodical win over Pasargad, another UFL Division 1 squad.

“It’s very sweet (winning the title),” beamed Ceres team manager Ali Go. “They were saying before that it’s just a fairytale, but now it’s a true story. We’re now a champion team.”

And ample of credit goes to Yoon. Off a botched play at the penalty box that saw Pasargad defender Ricardo Padilla–taking over from suspended goalie Reza Atael–leave the net wide-open, the unmarked 20-year-old striker easily tapped in the ball to the right and ran straight back into their bench in jubilation.

“I’m so happy,” expressed the cheerful Yoon, a former Stallion FC standout who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Joining him in the limelight were fellow Koreans Jae Hun Hyeon (Best Goalie) and Keon Hyeong Park (Best Defender) while teammate Joshua Beloya, a member of the national team training pool, was adjudged the Best Midfielder andAzkal stalwart Chieffy Caligdong of Green Archers FC bagged the Golden Boot award with a league-best four goals.

Visibly missing the services of key players Jahambaksh Taher, Charles Ujam and Emmanuel Mbata, Pasargad FC failed to sustain any headway in the face of the Ceres FC’s relentless attack and nearly impenetrable backline defense all match long.

With Bacolod representative Monico Puentevella intently watching and a throng of yellow-clad supporters enthusiastically cheering from the stands, Ceres FC quickly dictated the tempo and put Pasargad on its heels with repeated attacks in the opening half.

Pasargad FC, however, nearly pulled off a surprise, with Younousse Yougu getting a clear shot with a long strike that hit the crossbar just before the entertaining first 45 minutes came to a halt.

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Then it was all Ceres FC from then on. Proving they were up to the challenge, the Bacolod-based squad–composed mostly of Korean and British strikers currently enrolled at La Salle-Bacolod–seized the moment until Yoon scored the eventual winning goal with ease.

Minutes later, the quick Yoon had another chance to double their lead, finding enough space in a transition attack but his attempt went wide right.

Frustration started to set in for Pasargad FC as Angelo Marasigan was slapped with a yellow card while Ceres FC mightily held its fort on both ends.

Kaya FC, which finished runner-up to erstwhile champion Global in the initial edition of the tournament, settled for third with a 2-0 victory over Green Archers United.

Ali Kigbu drew the first marker at the 15th minute then Antonio Ugarte added another in the stoppage time of the first half.

Green Archers United received a consolation with the Fair Play trophy, an award given to a team with the least number of yellow and red cards all tournament long.

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