CERES-LA SALLE aims for history as it guns for a spot in the Asian Football Confederation President’s Cup finals when it faces HTTU Asagabat of Turkmenistan on Saturday at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.
Fresh from a 2-0 shutout of Chinese Taipei’s Tatung last Thursday, the reigning national club champions cap off their Group B campaign against the Turkmen at 5 p.m.
As it stands, Ceres and Asgabat are tied on top with four points and a goal difference of +2, but the former owns the tiebreaker on goals scored (4-3).
So the Bacolod-based side can settle for a draw to become the first club from the Philippines to advance to the final round of the tournament among clubs from emerging Asian footballing nations.
But Ceres would still have to earn the result to claim one of the two finals spots as it faces a formidable Turkmen side that has turned out to steal the spotlight from North Korea’s Rimyongsu, earlier pegged as the tournament’s strongest team.
Asgabat held Rimyongsu to a 1-1 draw last Thursday.
Ceres can afford to lose if third-running Rimyongsu (two points) settles for a draw or loses to eliminated and winless Tatung in the second game at 7:30 p.m., a scenario that appears far-fetched.
Ceres, bannered by goalscorers Patrick Reichelt and Juani Guirado, and fellow Azkal Carli de Murga, needs to leave nothing to chance.