Futsal

Vietnamese Sahako FC advance to the semi-finals of the AFF Futsal Cup ongoing in Thailand. Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Sahako FC of Việt Nam came from behind to beat Malaysian Selangor MAC 2-1 in the Group B of the AFF Futsal Cup 2022 at Terminal 21 in Korat on September 6.

Heading into the final game of the group this afternoon, both teams were out to make sure that they won the group so as to avoid home team Hongyen Thakam FC in the crossover semi-finals.

As it turned out, it was Selangor who went into the lead just two minutes into the game when Muhammad Ekmal Shahrin latched on to a corner from Matheus Silva.

With Sahako pressing hard and Selangor MAC just sitting back for much of the exchange into the second half, two momentarily losses of concentration at the tail end of the match would cost the side from Selangor their win.

In the 38th minute, Selangor MAC keeper Muhammad Syaifuddin Syukri Ibrahim Lincoln failed to save a stiff grounder from Dương Ngọc Linh as the ball trickled into goal for the equaliser.

And with seconds left on the clock, Nguyễn Đức Huy then had the easiest of tap-ins to give Sahako the well-deserved win and their place at the top of Group B.

The team received a VNĐ100 million (US$4,250) bonus for their success in their regional debut.

In the meantime, Hongyen Thakam from Thailand won Group A of the tournament this year when they destroyed Down Town Sport from Cambodia 11-2.

On the other hand, Bintang Timur Surabaya FC from Indonesia took the runners-up spot in Group A following their 19-0 win over Perwira of Brunei DS.

In the last four rounds, Sahako will take on Bintang Timur Surabaya in the first game before Hongyen Thakam play Selangor MAC in the second game of the evening on September 8. VNS