Becamex Binh Duong held to a scoreless draw by Selangor
By Vu Duc - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC – SHB Danang earned three points in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) championship after beating Port Authority FC of Thailand 3-2 in the first leg in Group H at Supachalasai Stadium in Thailand yesterday.
The home side faced some disadvantages when they had to play the game behind closed doors for their fans’ clash with supporters of Thai Premier League winners Muang Thong United on Saturday. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) ordered to ban their fans from entering the stadium in their AFC Cup match with SHB Danang.
Danang head coach Le Huynh Duc said before the game that he believed their players would beat the Thai representatives even though local spectators had raised doubts about the team’s strength. The V-League champions recently showed poor performance as they were defeated 0-3 by Thai defending champions Muang Thong in the qualifying round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. V-League champions SHB Danang have moved into the AFC Cup.
Makkharom opened the score for Port Authority in the 17th minute and Gaston Merlo leveled for the Vietnamese side just ten minutes later.
Nicolas Hernandez and Phan Thanh Hung scored for SHB Danang in the 51st and 85th minutes while Pitipong Kuldilok scored for his team in the injury time.
In the other match in Group H, Geylang United of Singapore tied goalless with Wofoo Tai Po of Hong Kong in Singapore.
SHB Danang will meet Geylang United of Singapore in their second match while Port Authority FC will face Wofoo Tai Po of Hong Kong. Both matches will be played on March 17.
SHB Danang are in group H with Port Authority FC of Thailand, Geylang United of Singapore and NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po of Hong Kong. Group F consists of Victory SC of Maldives, Sriwijaya of Indonesia, Selango of Malaysia and Becamex Binh Duong.
* V-League runners-up Becamex Binh Duong shared the point with Selangor of Malaysia in the first leg of Group F in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) championship at Shah Alam Stadium on Tuesday.
Binh Duong started the game with its strongest players in their line-up including three foreign players from South Africa, Brazil and Nigeria as well Brazilian born Kesley Huynh Alves. The visitors had the better of the exchanges but were let down by poor finishing.
Binh Duong missed a series of scoring chances in the first half, with the best in the ninth minute when Kesley and Philani’s kicks were saved by Selangor goalkeeper Mohd Hamsani Ahmad in the penalty area.
Selangor, who are reigning FA Cup and Malaysian Super League champions, bounced back in the second half but squandered three chances.
Skipper Mohd Safee Sali’s volley from the top of the box hit a goal post in the 58th minute while skipper Mohd Amri Yahyah’s effort during a goal mouth melee was saved by goalkeeper Nguyen The Anh four minutes later.
Mohd Safee also failed to make good another attempt at close range several minutes later.Selangor will meet Sriwijaya FC in Palembang, Indonesia in their second match while Becamex Binh Duong will face Victory FC in Maldives. Both matches will be played on March 16.