CERES Negros completed a fruitful season by emerging as the inaugural Philippines Football League (PFL) champion.
After clinching the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2017 Asean zone title, the home-court magic worked wonders for Ceres-Negros as the Busmen disposed of the Visayas rival Global Cebu, 4-1, in the final last Saturday night in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City.
Philippine Azkals mainstay Iain Ramsay delivered a championship performance with a hat trick after his Spanish teammate Bienvenido Maranon drew first blood four minutes into the match.
Ramsay hit from close range in the 20th minute to double the lead and immediately sent another in one seven minutes later to give Ceres a commanding 3-0 lead at the half.
As the Busmen were on the verge of winning the title, Ramsay capped one of the biggest games of his career by completing a hat trick in the 61st minute for a formidable 4-0 spread, which Global Cebu could no longer topple. Daryl Roberts’s goal in the 89th minute came as a consolation for Cebu.
“Its been a lot of hardwork to get to this stage,” Ramsay told the team’s official web site. “Fortunately for us in Ceres, we’ve had a lot of success in the AFC Cup, becoming Asean Champions. This just caps it off, to win the final. Massive congratulations goes to the whole club of Ceres, the people of Negros, my teammates, and the coaching staff.”
The PFL trophy capped an impressive year for the Busmen, especially on their home court where they made history last August by ruling the AFC Cup Asean Zonal Championship at the expense of Singapore’s Home United.
The Busmen will make their third straight appearance in the AFC Cup 2018 and will debut in the AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage also next year, facing the Myanmar National League Champions Shan United on January 16.