BACOLOD CITY — Ceres Negros striker Takumi Uesato said just like his home country Japan, which was able to advance to the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup, he was also fortunate to have lifted his team to a 2-0 win against Stallion Laguna on Sunday night.
“Japan and me, (we’re) lucky,” he said in a post-match press conference at the Panaad Stadium.
After a scoreless first half, Uesato scored a brace in the 66th and 70th to frustrate the visitors twice in the Philippines Football League (PFL) double-header in the Busmen’s turf. Last Wednesday, Ceres also beat Laguna.
Uesato, who was named the “Man of the Match,” said he was glad to help his team win, but apologized for not playing well in the previous matches.
With the latest win, defending champion Ceres FC maintained its lead in the PFL standings, earning 41 points, with 13 wins, two draws, and two losses.
Kaya FC Iloilo and Davao Aguila placed second and third, with 29 and 23 points, respectively. Laguna, meanwhile takes the fourth spot with 18 points.
Stallion Laguna assistant coach Richard Leyble said his team always play well, but every time they make an error, Ceres Negros scores.
“That’s football, but we don’t give up, we will train again. Maybe time will come, we will improve, and try our best to beat this strong team,” he added.
Meanwhile, Japan, the only Asian team to reach the last 16, qualified for the knock-out stage on fair play rule, which is based on the number of accrued yellow cards.
In the group phase, Japan and Senegal had four points each, but Japan had only four yellow cards in three matches while Senegal had six.
Japan will face Belgium on Tuesday, in a bid to enter the quarterfinals. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
