Following a 20-year hiatus, the ASEAN Club Championship — officially known as the Shopee Cup due to sponsorship reasons — returned with a bang on Wednesday.
Six teams were in action as Group A action got underway and there was already no shortage of excitement delivered in the form of a shock upset, a come-from-behind win and a battling draw between two heavyweights.
The opening round continues on Thursday with Group B promising to deliver similar drama.
Here’s what we learned from Wednesday’s play.
Terengganu flatter to deceive in shock loss to qualifiers
With Johor Darul Ta’zim opting not to participate in the tournament, it will be down to Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur City to fly the flag for Malaysia in place of the treble winners.
Terengganu were first up and, considering they were up against a team that had to go through the qualifying playoffs in Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng of Cambodia, they would have entered the home tie as heavy favourites.
Instead, they found themselves 2-0 down inside the opening 16 minutes as the visitors made a blistering start and, even after Manny Ott had pulled one back for Terengganu ten minutes after the restart, Svay Rieng would restore their two-goal advantage in the 86th minute.
Then, the drama.
As the clock ticked into injury time, Terengganu were awarded a penalty which was emphatically converted by Safawi Rasid, before appearing to win another in the final minute of the six added when Kouch Dani was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area.
But upon VAR review, it was determined that the ball had made contact with the Svay Rieng player’s back — allowing the Cambodian outfit to hold on to an impressive win.
While Terengganu deserve credit for the fightback they mustered, losing to a team they would have been expected to comfortably beat — on paper, at least — will be hugely disappointing.
BGPU could have a different objective in the tournament
With a star-studded team and having enjoyed excellent results in continental competition in recent times, BG Pathum United were rightfully viewed as one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Nonetheless, with an arduous season ahead, perhaps BGPU will be approaching the ASEAN Club Championship differently as compared to their competitors.
In a 0-0 draw with PSM Makassar, only one player in the first XI had also started in both of the Rabbits previous two Thai League 1 outings: up-and-coming rightback Waris Choolthong.
In fact, nine players were making their first starts of the new season and there were even debuts for Ilhan Fandi, Marco Ballini and Airfan Doloh.
Before it gets said that BGPU aren’t taking the tournament seriously, the team they sent out was still a formidable one — one good enough to come away with a point against a PSM team who are no slouches themselves.
It is entirely BGPU’s prerogative to prioritise the various competitions as they see fit and such an approach is hardly different to what major European clubs do when they miss out on top-tier continental competition and have to compete in the Europa League.
In players such as Ilhan, Waris and Chonnapat Buaphan, BGPU have several promising talents and the ASEAN Club Championship could just be the perfect stage for them to shine brighter and prove their worth.
Gordon sparks Thanh Hoa’s come-from-behind win
Having spent his entire professional career in Vietnam, Jamaican attacker Rimario Gordon has been a real star in V.League 1 and is currently in his second spell with Dong A Thanh Hoa.
Perhaps surprisingly, he was left on the bench against Shan United but with the hosts trailing at the break, it was no surprise that he was introduced as early as the start of the second half.
For all his technical ability, one of Gordon’s best strengths is how he always gives his all to the team’s cause.
And when he fearlessly threw his body towards Nguyen Thai Binh’s left-wing cross despite impending contact from the charging opposition goalkeeper in the six-yard box, he not only headed home the equaliser but showed his teammates the spirit they needed to show if they wanted to begin their campaign with a win.
Thanh Hoa soon lifted and further goals from Yago Ramos and Luiz Antonio would complete a stirring fightback, but it was all started from a man who was initially left out but — for all his years in the country — knows how much such a result in a regional tournament would mean not just for the club, but all of Vietnamese football.
