After their surprise 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar last week, Ceres Negros showed the win was no fluke as the side from the Philippines proved resilient opposition.
Superb Schrock
Stephan Schrock faced a formidable match-up against Belgian star Axel Witsel, but the diminutive German-born midfielder wasn’t overawed and was a standout for Ceres Negros, setting up the best of their attacks and also pushing forward whenever possible.
The 31-year-old could have scored the opening goal inside the first 15 minutes but saw his shot well saved. Operating in central midfield, as his heat map below illustrates, he spent the majority of his time down the left hand side of the pitch and it was here he was able to link up with Mike Ott whenever Ceres Negros broke forward.
While his passing accuracy was just over 65 percent, a low number for a player of his quality, it was his defensive work that also caught the eye with six tackles and four fouls won.
Magical Modeste
Frenchman Anthony Modeste, who scored seven goals in eight games after joining Tianjin in July, picked up where he left off last season with a brace to seal the win for the home side.
Playing alongside Alexandre Pato up front, Modeste was the main target for the hosts throughout the night as they looked to make use of his size advantage over the Ceres Negros defenders.
As his heat map above shows, however, he played the team game and often tracked back to win the ball or clear with an important header from a set piece. As the space developed late in the game, he became more dangerous and could have added to his two goals had the service been better.
Midfield Rocks
The combination in midfield of Zhao Xuri and Axel Witsel is a promising one for Tianjin, with the experienced duo doing a fine job of protecting an at times shaky defence.
The few times Ceres Negros were able to get forward in a meaningful way exposed the home defence, who often struggled to clear the danger. But the excellent work in midfield of Zhao and Witsel kept Ceres Negros at bay for most of the match.
As the graphic above highlights, the pair did a mountain of defensive work, breaking up the Ceres Negros attack, winning important tackles and controlling the game in midfield.
