Hai Phong lost heavily to Malaysian club in AFC Cup

Malaysia's shaky defense caused Hai Phong to lose 1-4 to Sabah in the fourth round of Group H of the 2023-2024 AFC Cup.

* Goals: Daniel Ting 20', Darren Lok 34', Peres 70', Jafri Chew 90'+5 – Yuri Mamute 85'

In the first leg, Hai Phong won dramatically against Sabah 3-2. But when traveling to Likas Stadium tonight, November 9, the V-League representative faced many disadvantages. Goalkeeper Dinh Trieu was out recovering from an injury, while center-back Ben Van Meurs had health problems and had to sit on the bench.

Hai Phong started well with shots from Huu Son and Yuri Mamute, but a moment of lack of concentration in the 20th minute cost the team. From the middle, Stuart Wilkin confidently dribbled the ball and passed it to Daniel Ting who rushed forward to receive the ball. Goalkeeper Van Toan guessed the intention but his mistake prevented him from catching it and created an opportunity for Ting to shoot into an empty net to open the score.

Darren Lok celebrates scoring the second goal in Sabah's 4-1 win over Hai Phong. Photo: Okzone Bola

While the attack was deadlocked, Hai Phong continued to concede a goal, this time from a direct free kick on the right wing. Indonesian player Saddil Ramdani hung the ball with his left foot, allowing Darren Lok to cut across the Hai Phong defender and then head it into the near corner, doubling the gap.

In the second half, Sabah proactively gave the game to the visitors who were waiting to counterattack. In such a situation, Ramdani once again hung the ball similar to the second goal for center back Gabriel Peres to head the ball into the far corner to score.

Hai Phong's efforts were rewarded with a goal to reduce the score to 1-3 in the 85th minute thanks to foreign player Yuri Mamute. But in the fifth minute of injury time, Ramon passed Le Manh Dung and crossed the ball for substitute Jafri Firdaus Chew to tap in from close range, making the result 4-1.

With this loss, Hai Phong remains in second place in Group H with six points, three points behind Sabah. Meanwhile, PSM Makassar beat Hougang United 3-1 to catch up with the Vietnamese club.

The 2023-2024 AFC Cup Southeast Asia group stage consists of 12 teams divided into three groups F, G, H. The teams compete in a two-round robin to select the three best teams and one second-best team to enter the semi-finals. At the moment, Hai Phong is at a disadvantage when Phnom Penh Crown in Group F has nine points, while Terengganu in Group G has eight points.

In the last two matches, Hai Phong will play away against Indonesian club PSM Makassar on November 30. On December 14, the port city team will host Singapore club Hougang United.

Starting lineup

Sabah: Khairul Fahmi bin Che Mat, Gabriel Peres, Park Tae-su, Dominic Tan, Ko Kwang-min, Stuart Wilkin, Ramon, Daniel Ting, Miguel Cifuentes, Darren Lok, Saddil Ramdani

Hai Phong: Van Toan, Le Manh Dung, Dang Van Toi, Pham Manh Hung, Trieu Viet Hung, Bicou Bissainthe, Huu Son, Martin Lo, Luong Hoang Nam, Joseph Mpande, Yuri Mamute.

Hieu Luong

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