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Post by cjeagle on Dec 7, 2017 5:38:13 GMT 8
Taken from facebook(Not official yet)
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Post by cjeagle on Dec 11, 2017 4:39:37 GMT 8
By virture of being the top two sides of the 2017 PFL campaign, both Ceres and Global will also play in next year’s AFC Cup for the second season running, with the champions also set to earn an AFC Champions League qualifying berth.
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 6, 2018 8:35:17 GMT 8
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 17, 2018 0:27:07 GMT 8
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Post by pilferpatchy on Jan 17, 2018 9:54:33 GMT 8
The Brisbane Roar that Ceres will face on the 26th will be less stronger than the squad who beat Global and Gus Poyet's Shanghai SH last year. Brisbane's Indonesian owner who purchased it in 2015 is in so much debt that they are selling the whole club. There are several resignations, on-hold transfers, and salary disputes which force the young Aussie stars who appeared in the 6-0 thrashing of Global to transfer or be sold to better teams. Ex-Olyroo Tommy Oar transferred to APOEL while Brandon Borello, another Aussie U23 who scored four against Global got signed by Kaiserslautern. Meanwhile Indian club Goa FC signed Manuel Araña (scored a brace in that play-off game). Their current form in the A-League is dismal, having lost 3 games in a row and currently having 13 points from 16 matches, only a two-point advantage from the bottom team Wellington Pheonix. Nevertheless Brisbane is still a formidable team if we look on quality of the league they play in (compared to the PFL, of course) and their players.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Massimo Macarrone. The 38 year-old ex-Azzurri who played for AC Milan, Middlesbrough, and Empoli is currently their top scorer (5th in the league) with 7 goals in 13 appearances.
Having lost several of their key players of the last season, Brisbane filled in their squad with foreign veterans like Tunisian forward Fahid Ben Khalfallah (from Melbourne Victory) and midfielder Eric Bautheac (from Lille).
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 17, 2018 11:58:08 GMT 8
Aside from the fact that Brisbane plays in a better league, Ceres would be at a disadvantage due to the long offseason it is just getting out of. Brisbane would be in midseason form despite its record, while Ceres just played its first game of the season after having only had 4 training sessions.
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Post by dingg0y on Jan 17, 2018 13:22:14 GMT 8
Ceres players looked a bit rusty in their game against Shan. They tended to take an extra touch before passing instead of passing as opportunity arise. I could see that in some instances, an early pass could have resulted in a better play or even chances at goal. But at least they won! Congrats! That exchanges between Manny and Schrock which led to a great chance (but Schrock hit the post) should be the way they play (sharp and fast) against Brisbane to have a chance to progress. It was such a joy to watch.
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Post by pilferpatchy on Jan 17, 2018 15:24:59 GMT 8
After tomorrow's game, they'll be playing Melbourne on the 21st (two days before the Ceres game) so maybe fitness is where Ceres have the advantage in but yeah, Brisbane will be playing at home so...
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 22, 2018 16:08:07 GMT 8
AFC Champions League Ceres Negros coach Vidakovic ready to take on the Roar In the midst of all the turmoil surrounding football in the Philippines there’s a glimmer of hope and genuine excitement in at least one corner of the country as champions Ceres-Negros continue on their Asian Champions League qualification path tomorrow when they play A-League outfit Brisbane in Australia. Having eased past Myanmar side Shan United on penalties last week they face a far sterner challenge in the form of the Roar, but even with a limited preparation and the odds firmly stacked against them there’s a genuine belief in the squad that they will make things quite difficult for their Australian opposition. Speaking exclusively with FOX Sports Asia from the northern Australian city, Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic termed this an ‘historic’ moment for football in the Philippines. “The issue we face is that we are not prepared as our league finished in December and now we are back here playing already in the Champions League but we will try to compete and do the best we can. “We know though it will be very tough for us because this is a higher level and Brisbane have many top players, many with experience in Europe and they are much better prepared than us. “Sure though the players are motivated and we know how important this match is not just for our club but for football in the Philippines –it’s an historic match – as everybody in the nation wants to see a club in the group stage of the Champions League.” Vidakovic did a fantastic job in leading the side from the central city of Bacolod to a second-placed finish at the end of the regular season in the inaugural edition of the Philippines Football League and after having then thrashed Global 4-1 in the final they were crowned the league’s first ever champions and booked this ACL playoff spot as a result. With the new ASEAN player rule adopted in Thailand and Malaysia that saw cashed-up clubs circling, Vidakovic was delighted they managed to keep the core of the squad intact. “We had a hard time after the success in the AFC Cup last season when we were the champions of Southeast Asia and many other clubs showed interest in our players but we tried the best to keep as many as we could and increased the salaries to do so. “The thing about this club though is that players want to stay here because we have a fantastic atmosphere and they think they can make history if they stay here for maybe one more season and there really is a feeling like a family at the club so players aren’t only thinking about money.” What they do have to think about though is finding a way to topple a Brisbane side with far greater resources and history and off the back of a pre-season barely three weeks long. That followed a 2017 campaign that began in the first week of January and ended in mid-December and which Vidakovic told FOX Sports Asia was the longest year of his career. “We didn’t have time to give the players the break they usually would get because of these matches, but we travelled to Australia trying to make it difficult for Brisbane. “Of course we have good players and players with experience abroad and national players at our club, but the difference is the kind of intensity they are used to in the Philippines will be much more difficult here. “We have to try and compete for as long as we can and of course keep our goal safe but we can’t only look to play behind the ball so when we have a chance we need to take advantage of playing on a good pitch and go forward which is the style of football that we like to play.” www.foxsports.ph/football/as...ceres-negros-coach-vidakovic-ready-take-roar/
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 22, 2018 17:14:19 GMT 8
Brisbane Roar take on Filipino side Ceres-Negros FC in round two of qualifying for the AFC Champions League, at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Stadium on Tuesday night. The top-flight Philippine side are huge underdogs going into the match, but what do we know about Ceres and do they stand a chance? Founded in 2012, the Busmen’s history is short but sweet. They have never finished outside the top two in the league and comfortably won the title last season, defeating Global Cebu in the final series. Spaniard Bienvenido Maranon is their greatest threat, scoring 22 goals in Ceres’ title-winning 2017 season. However, Maranon isn’t the only Spaniard in the team. He is accompanied by former Real Betis goalkeeper Toni Dolbas – who crossed paths with John Aloisi in the 2005 Copa del Rey final. Despite Aloisi scoring the equaliser on the night, Dolbas’ Real Betis took home the trophy, defeating Osasuna 2-1. Ceres’ head coach Risto Vidakovic also has links to Spanish football. The well-travelled Serbian made over 100 appearances for Real Betis and spent time coaching in Honduras, before being appointed the Busmen's boss in 2016. Last week, Vidakovic’s side defeated Myanmar’s Shan United 4-3 on penalties, securing a second-round tie with Brisbane Roar. Reaching Tuesday’s tie in Queensland has been a hard-fought task for Ceres and they'll be met by a strong Brisbane eleven. “We have to make sure we play high tempo football,” revealed Aloisi. “We know that they’ve done a lot of travelling after going to Myanmar and then coming here. “We know that their season hasn’t really started, so we know they won’t be as fit as us.” Vidakovic is also well aware of the difference in fitness, but is relishing the opportunity. “They are middle of the season, we are in preseason," he said. "There’s a big difference in intensity but I hope we can compete with them. “We’ll compete at one-hundred percent. Anything can happen – football is full of surprises." Brisbane Roar v Ceres-Negros gets underway at 7:30 local time on Tuesday night in Brisbane. The winner will face Chinese outfit Tianjin Quanjian in the final round of qualifying. www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/who-are-ceres-negros-481569
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Post by pilferpatchy on Jan 23, 2018 18:59:55 GMT 8
History indeed. Ceres is through to the play-off round. They'll be playing away against Tianjin Quanjian on the 30th.
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Post by xyz1000 on Jan 23, 2018 19:40:57 GMT 8
Congratulations to Ceres-Negros FC. Another milestone in the growth of football Philippines.
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 23, 2018 19:55:56 GMT 8
Congratulations to Ceres Negros FC for this history making victory. I am now officially thinking about endorsing coach Vidakovic as future Azkals national team coach.
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 23, 2018 20:00:58 GMT 8
Marañon, Nazari propel Ceres to stunner over Brisbane Roar Ceres will face Tianjin Quanjian FC in the preliminary round 3 of the AFC Champions League Ceres Negros FC upsets Brisbane Roar, 3-2, on Tuesday, January 23 at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Center in Brisbane, Australia. The win sends Ceres to a play-off with Tianjin Quanjian FC on Tuesday, January 30 in Tianjin, China. The winner of the final play-off will compete under Group E of the AFC Champions League group stage. In the 35th minute, Brett Holman's cross found Massimo Maccarone who opened the scoring of the game. Six minutes later, Mitchell Oxborrow attempted to double the lead for Brisbane Roar, but his shot was blocked by Ceres. Manuel Herrera's shot went off target in the 43rd minute, but his efforts provided the opportunity for Bienvenido Marañon to score the equalizer, 1-1. In the 65th minute, Marañon capitalized on a pass from Mike Ott and scored his second goal of the game. 10 minutes later, the Australian defense failed to clear the ball which allowed Omid Nazari to convert the deflected ball towards the far post. Eric Bautheac cut the deficit to one in the 86th minute as he sent the ball from Ivan Franjic towards the roof of the net. Brisbane Roar failed to level the score and extend game, surrending the game to Ceres-Negros. In 2017, Global-Cebu FC faced Brisbane Roar in the second preliminary round of that year's AFC Champions League qualifiers, but lost 6-0 to the Australian club. www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/football/194367-maranon-nazari-ceres-brisbane-roar
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Post by cjeagle on Jan 23, 2018 20:11:01 GMT 8
Reactions on Twitter and Facebook
AFC Champions League Verified account @theafccl 23m23 minutes ago
.@ceresnegrosfc are through to the #ACL2018 Playoff Round after a sensational victory over @brisbaneroar!
Neil Etheridge Verified account @neil38etheridge 56m56 minutes ago
Congratulations to @ceresnegrosfc for making history once again tonight. Keep moving forward! Great result, on to the next one!
Robbie Slater Verified account @robbieslater17 Foxsports commentator
Laughing stock of Asia tonight ! @foxfootball absolutely incredible ! In a bad way ! A really bad way !
FOX SPORTS Asia 44 mins
And the bus drives on‼️ 🚌💨
Ceres-Negros FC defied the odds beating A-league side Brisbane Roar FC in a pulsating AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 2 encounter in Queensland, Australia. They next face Chinese Super League Club Tianjin Quanjian in the Playoff Round.
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