Thanh Hoa: Vietnam’s Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC will kick off the group stage action in the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ when they welcome Shan United FC of Myanmar to Thanh Hoa Province Stadium in Group A on Wednesday.
Thanh Hóa FC captured their second successive Vietnamese National Cup title, defeating Hanoi FC in a penalty shootout last month and will begin their new domestic campaign with the Vietnamese Super Cup tie against Nam Dinh FC on August 31.
But before that, they will be in action in the first-ever Shopee Cup, where they will set their sights on opening their campaign with a win against Shan, hoping to finish in the top two spots in Group A which also features Thailand’s BG Pathum United, Malaysia’s Terengganu FC, Indonesia’s PSM Makassar and Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC of Cambodia.
Shan will be familiar opponents for Thanh Hóa FC head coach Velizar Popov who was in charge of the Myanmar U-23 national team from 2019 to 2022 and the Bulgarian tactician will be hungry to add more silverware to his collection having overseen three title triumphs in two seasons with the Lam Son Warriors.
The V.League 1 side’s biggest strengths are their star forward Rimario Gordon, who has been a permanent fixture in Vietnamese football since 2018, and a solid midfield line-up featuring Brazilian veteran Luiz Antonio and 19-year-old Nguyen Thai Son.
Meanwhile, Shan are undoubtedly the most successful club in Myanmar since 2017, winning a joint-record five league titles and two League Cup titles and reached the group stage of the Shopee Cup as one of the two qualifiers alongside Cambodian champions Svay Rieng.
In the Qualifying Round Play-offs held last month, the Myanmar National League champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Kasuka FC of Brunei Darussalam in the first leg, but a brace from Efrain Rintaro gave Shan a 3-1 win at home in the second leg to send them through to the tournament proper.
They have sustained their good form at home since that victory as the side, coached by legendary Myanmar forward Myo Hlaing Win, lead the standings with six wins and a draw in the early stages of their league campaign.
Brazilian-born Rintaro, who spent most of his career in Japan and moved to Shan in mid-2024, will be one of their key stars in the Shopee Cup, while Ghanaian attacking midfielder Mark Sekyi has also made a spectacular start to the 2024/25 season as Shan look to cause some upsets in the group stage.
As many as 12 clubs from eight nations in Southeast Asia are split into two groups in the Shopee Cup, with the top two sides set to progress to the knockout stage of the competition and the semi-finals slated to be held in April 2025.
Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC vs Shan United FC
Venue: Thanh Hoa Province Stadium, Thanh Hoa
Kick-off: August 21, 6 PM (Local Time)
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