Football 

Thanh Hóa's captain Doãn Ngọc Tân (right) in action during Thanh Hóa vs Svay Rieng match in Group A of the ASEAN Club Championship on January 22. VNS Photo Mai Phương

THANH HÓA — An unexpected nil nil draw against Svay Rieng on January 22 was a less than perfect result for Thanh Hoa, who wanted to qualify for the semi-finals of the ASEAN Club Championship, Shopee Cup.

With the advantage of playing at home, and showing great determination, the hosts could not find a way into the back of the Cambodian side's net in the penultimate round of Group A.

The result meant that Thanh Hóa remained unbeaten in the competition with six points from four matches and kept the V.League 1 side in contention for a place in the knockout stage in next month’s Matchday 5. 

It was the Cambodian champions who took the game to Thanh Hóa early on as Bounphachan Bounkong tested goalkeeper Trịnh Xuân Hoàng in the third minute before Saret Krya headed wide from a corner not much later. 

They also had half-hearted shouts for a penalty dismissed by the referee after Đoàn Ngọc Hà’s challenge on Bounphachan inside the box in the ninth minute. 

Bounphachan continued to cause problems for Thanh Hóa’s defence and Hoàng had to come off his line to deny the Laos international just past the half-hour mark. 

Thanh Hóa’s Luiz Antonio struck from long distance straight into the hands of Svay Rieng custodian Vireak Dara five minutes into the second half before Nick Taylor brushed the side netting at the opposite end after a quick break down the left wing not much later.

Velizar Popov’s home side offered more in attack after the restart and Takashi Odawara had to make a brilliant sliding challenge on Mit A who almost went one-on-one with the Svay Rieng keeper in the 53rd minute. 

Thanh Hóa captain Doãn Ngọc Tân, who struck in the 1-1 draw with BG Pathum United in their previous match, missed the target by inches with a shot from distance ten minutes later before Dara was forced into making a spectacular diving save to deny a Yago Ramos effort that was heading for the top corner in the 67th minute. 

Svay Rieng’s Kyra failed to keep his header down after meeting a corner in front of the goal in the 75th minute as the game headed towards a nervy finish at the Thanh Hóa Stadium. 

Thanh Hóa probed for a winner late on but Josep Munoz’s Svay Rieng held on for a draw, which took their points tally to four from four matches. 

The Cambodian Premier League side will next face Myanmar’s Shan United FC in their final group match on February 5 while Thanh Hóa will be on the road to face PSM Makassar of Indonesia on the same day.  

Another Vietnamese club, Hà Nội Police, will play Kuala Lumpur FC in a penultimate round Group B encounter on January 23. 

Hà Nội Police players in training on January 22, one day before they play hosts Kuala Lumpur City in the penultimate round of Group B. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội Police FC

Speaking at the pre match conference coach Mano Polking was confident about his side's win although they were playing away.

He said his players were ready and had already shown some good performances in this tournament. A win would bring the side a ticket to the semi-finals.

The Brazilian coach said Kuala Lumpur City were strong team with many quality players including the national team members. The Police would have to play cautiously but arriving in Malaysia with the strongest force the team had a very clear goal of winning three points.

The Police are currently on top of the group with nine points, remaining the only club with a 100 per cent record in the inaugural Cup.

Kuala Lumpur rank third with three points. The Miroslav Kuljanac-coached side will aim to stop their visitors' momentum and will have happy memories from their only previous meeting against a Vietnamese club.

En route to reaching the 2022 AFC Cup final, Kuala Lumpur defeated Việt Nam’s Viettel FC 6-5 on penalties in the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals. — VNS