Busmen clobber Bali U XI

MANILA, Philippines — Bienvenido Marañon netted twice as Philippine champ Ceres Negros FC clobbered Indonesian counterpart Bali United, 4-0, Wednesday night in a closed door AFC Cup match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Marañon followed up OJ Porteria’s 35th-minute strike with a penalty kick and a header off a Stephan Schrock assist in a telling 16-minute stretch to help the host Busmen break the game open.

Robert Lopez Mendy put the icing on the cake with a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner 17 minutes before time as Ceres kept its hold of Group G lead with seven points through three matches.

“It’s not easy to play especially when the (other) team is defending very deep. We had a hard time finding space but after 1-0, I think in the second half they opened up a little, and we had more space and more opportunity to score,” said Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic.

The Busmen, who was held to a 2-2 draw by Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh two weeks ago in the same venue, grabbed maximum points in front of an empty stadium.  The no-spectator policy was implemented in line with efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“I think it’s unfortunate. It’s not ideal that we play behind closed doors but it is what it is. We can’t change it and obviously the safety of everyone is more important than a football game,” said Schrock.

The home club initially couldn’t break down Bali’s defense but eventually hit paydirt after the half-hour mark when Porteria blasted a right-footer to the top right corner after Bali keeper Nadeo Winata stopped Schrock’s attempt but failed to clear it.

Schrock, the PSA’s Mr. Football awardee, then set up Marañon’s back-to-back goals. 

The Fil-German drew a foul from William Pacheco inside the box at the 53rd minute, sending the Spanish ace to the spot for a 2-0 cushion. He later delivered a fine cross off to Marañon, who headed it home for a three-goal margin going to the last 21 minutes.