The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 witnessed four more cracking fixtures on its second matchday with several players from the eight teams in action rising to the occasion to make their mark on the 15th edition of the regional showpiece.
There were hard-fought victories for Singapore and Malaysia in Group A on Wednesday while Group B matches were even more tightly contested affairs as the Philippines were held 1-1 by Myanmar before Indonesia and Laos played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Manahan Stadium.
ASEAN United FC looks at four players who starred for their teams in the second set of fixtures and lets you, the fans, decide who deserves to be the Best Player of Matchday 2 by voting at the bottom of the article.
Paulo Josue (Malaysia)
Malaysia did not get off to the best of starts in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ after a 2-2 draw with Cambodia in their opener and were desperately looking for a win against Timor-Leste on the second matchday to boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
However, what awaited the Harimau Malaya in Kuala Lumpur was a spirited performance from Timor-Leste who raced to a 2-1 lead at the half-time interval. A lacklustre display against the lowest-ranked side in the competition left head coach Pau Marti Vicente needing someone from his side to step up and help them grab all three points.
Paulo Josue proved to be that saviour with the 35-year-old attacking midfielder affecting the play in a far more advanced role than usual in the later stages of the match and hitting the equaliser in the 70th minute before also grabbing the winner with seven minutes left on the clock.
Faris Ramli (Singapore)
Faris Ramli became part of the Singapore squad for an ASEAN Championship for the first time in 2014. The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 is the sixth edition of the regional showpiece that the Singapore veteran has been part of and he marked it with a goal against Cambodia in their opener.
The 32-year-old capitalised on a mistake from Cambodia goalkeeper Vireak Dara to open his side’s scoring just nine minutes in at National Stadium to send Tsutomu Ogura’s side on the way to a 2-1 victory, with Shawal Anuar also on the scoresheet for the Lions.
Having now scored in four consecutive editions of the ASEAN Championship, Faris will next hope to sustain his scoring touch throughout the competition as Singapore set their sights on their first ASEAN crown since 2012.
Maung Maung Lwin (Myanmar)
Maung Maung Lwin led from the front as Myanmar got their first point of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ with a 1-1 draw against the Philippines, to recover from a narrow 1-0 defeat to Indonesia in their opener.
Along with midfielder Lwin Moe Aung, the Myanmar captain was helping his side tick with his distribution and also creating chances for his teammates against a Philippines side who dominated possession and chances during the game at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
However, Maung Maung Lwin's best moment came in the 25th minute when the 29-year-old gave his side the lead by planting his free-kick into the top corner, leaving Philippines goalkeeper Patrick Deyto rooted to his spot. He has now scored in four consecutive editions of the ASEAN Championship.
Phousomboun Panyavong (Laos)
Phousomboun Panyavong wouldn't have dreamt of many better ways to bag his first international goal for Laos - at 17 years of age, on his first start for the national team and against regional powerhouses Indonesia.
Phousomboun only made his senior international debut as a substitute against Thailand in a friendly last month and was a stoppage-time substitute in the defeat to Vietnam in the tournament opener. But when the opportunity came in the form of a first start on Thursday, he grabbed it brilliantly with an instant impact.
The teenager opened the scoring in the ninth minute as he ran onto a pass from captain Bounphachan Bounkong and fired a shot which took a deflection on its way into the back of the net. His goal was the boost the Laotians needed as they held Indonesia to a historic 3-3 draw.
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