Ceres booters eye AFC Champions League history

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 08:43:32 +0000

BY JONAS TERRADO

DOMESTIC double winner Ceres-Negros will try to be lucky the third time around as it seeks a historic berth to the prestigious AFC Champions League group stage with next week’s qualifiers against Myanmar’s Shan United.

The Philippines Football League and Copa Paulino Alcantara champions need to beat Shan United, Thailand side Port and Japan’s FC Tokyo in order to become the first Filipino club to reach the top-tier continental tournament.

Ceres takes on Shan United on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, and coach Risko Vidakovic said his team wants to take things step-by-step.

Ceres-Negros football coach Risto Vidakovic (center) poses with players (from left) Arnie Pasinabo, Josh Grommen, Bienve Marañon, Stephan Schrock, Pika Minegishi and Mark Hartmann during yesterday’s PSA Forum. (Ali Vicoy)

“The Champions League’s very important. If we qualify for the group stage, it’s gonna be the biggest result in the history of Philippine football, if you want to say it,” Vidakovic said during first session of the PSA Forum for 2020 at Amelie Hotel in Manila.

“That’s a big step already. But we are focused on the first game,” he added.

Ceres fell short on its two previous appearances in the Champions League qualifiers.

The Busmen reached the final phase of the qualifiers in 2018 but
http://tempo.com.ph/feed/