Gallardo scores late equalizer anew as Ceres forces stalemate with Tampines

AFC
By Philip Maranan

SINGAPORE--Adrian Gallardo continues his AFC Cup scoring run by rescuing a late 1-1 draw for Ceres against Tampines Rovers in the AFC Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday night.

Early on, both sides had their fair share of possession. The Ceres and Tampines players concentrated their battle on the midfield.

The Ceres players then bombarded the Tampines penalty box with good set pieces and attempts just before the half-time whistle.

The second half resumed with Ceres having the best of possessions.

But despite Ceres’ brighter second half opening, Tampines scored the opening goal in the 69th minute. Hafiz Sujad poked in a pass from the wing that gave the Stags the lead.

In the 72nd minute, Gallardo wanted a penalty for Ceres but is denied by the referee. TV replays, however, showed that his cross attempt inside the box was seen to hit the arm of a Tampines player.

Just as the game was dwindling down, Gallardo eventually scored the equalizer for Ceres in the 88th minute.

He received a quick pass surging to the penalty box and stroked it well to the side of the goal.

The result keeps the Tampines Rovers on top of Group E with seven points and then followed by Ceres with five points.

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