MANILA -- Ceres Negros dearly missed the presence of Bienve Marañon as the club was held to a 1-1 draw by Singapore's Home United at the start of the two-leg AFC Cup ASEAN Zone Finals at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Wednesday night.
Isaka Cernak stunned the full-house Panaad crowd as he did not just eventually force a deadlock, but also gave Home a vital away goal that puts the club at a slight edge - entering the rematch back in Singapore next week.
Blake Powell introduced himself to the AFC Cup community as he tapped in an eighth minute penalty that put the recently-crowned back-to-back PFL champ up to the delight of the fans.
However, Cernak followed up on a Shahril Ishak's header that could only touch the goal line after bouncing off the post to put Home on the board in the 23rd minute.
Ishak even had a chance to give Home the lead midway in the second half after finding some space against Negros' backline, but Toni Doblas was there for the stop.
Hafiz Nor and Stephan Schrock's last gasps to give their respective teams the Leg 1 win went for naught as referee Kim Soo-Wung officially called it a night. (PNA)
