Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei Darussalam’s Kasuka FC and Shan United FC of Myanmar played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Shopee Cup Qualifying Round Play-off on Wednesday.
In a closely contested first half at Hassanal Bolkia National Stadium, it was Kasuka who went into the interval a goal to the good after Leon Taylor coolly finished into the bottom corner as half-time approached.
The visitors upped their game in the second half and found the equaliser through Hein Phyo Win with a little over 10 minutes to play to leave the tie perfectly poised ahead of the return meeting in Yangon next Wednesday.
After an even opening 25 minutes, Kasuka had their first real sight on goal in the 27th minute when Willan dos Santos played a nice give-and-go with Taylor but failed to test the goalkeeper after firing wide of the mark from inside the right side of the penalty area.
Shan United had a chance to open the scoring 10 minutes before the interval when the Kasuka backline failed to clear a cross from the left, but when the ball broke to Mark Sekyi just inside the penalty area, the Ghanaian midfielder shot high and wide.
The Myanmar champions came inches away from breaking the deadlock as half-time approached when Ye Yint Aung turned cleverly in the box to create a shooting opportunity before his low drive from a narrow angle struck the inside of the post and somehow stayed out.
Less than a minute later, it was the hosts who made it 1-0 when Dos Santos slipped a defence-splitting through ball to Khairul Anwar 25 yards from goal and the midfielder then played in Taylor, who side-footed home from just inside the area.
The home side came close to doubling their advantage five minutes after the restart when Haziq Kasyful Azim fizzed just wide of the right post with a dangerous shot from outside the area as the Brunei DS champions sought to further take control of the tie.
But Shan United responded strongly and pushed for the equaliser as Ye Yint Aung centred from the left with a little over 20 minutes to play, and after Kasuka centre-back Samuel Abbey did well to thwart the initial danger, substitute Htet Phyoe Wai failed to connect cleanly with the follow up with a golden opportunity to level proceedings.
Kasuka goalkeeper Wardun Yussof did well to deny Ye Yint Aung just moments later as the hosts continued to hold the lead amid a Shan onslaught as the visitors cranked up the pressure.
But the equaliser finally arrived in the 79th minute when substitute Kaung Myat Thu won possession 40 yards from goal before playing an inch-perfect ball through for Hein Phyo Win whose first-time effort from the right side of the area drew the visitors level.
Kasuka had a rare sight on goal with five minutes remaining when substitute Asri Aspar found himself in space 20 yards from goal, but after cutting insure to create a shooting opportunity, he shot tamely into goalkeeper Zyaw Zin Phyo’s hands.
With the game ending all square, things are perfectly poised for the second leg at Yangon’s Thuwunna Stadium on July 24, where the winner will advance to Group A of the inaugural Shopee Cup.
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