This week saw four ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ clubs in action in various Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club competitions in the second leg of their knockout ties.
Lion City Sailors FC of Singapore are through to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Two at the expense of Sanfrecce Hiroshima while Thailand’s Buriram United reached the AFC Champions League Elite last eight and Cambodia’s PKR Svay Rieng FC made the AFC Challenge League final four.
Join ASEAN United FC as we take a look at how the four Shopee Cup clubs performed in Asia over the course of the week.
Sailors book impressive last-four berth
Singapore Premier League side Lion City Sailors FC held Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima to a 1-1 draw in the second leg at Jalan Besar Stadium to progress to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Two with a 4-1 aggregate win. They will now battle Australia’s Sydney FC on 9 and 16 April for a place in the final.
Sanfrecce’s 6-1 win in the quarter-final first leg was forfeited after the Japanese side was found to have fielded an ineligible player, with the Sailors awarded a 3-0 win instead.
In the return leg in front of their supporters, Aleksandar Rankovic’s side extended their advantage after 20 minutes as Lennart Thy ran onto a Shawal Anuar pass and slotted past Sanfrecce keeper Keisuke Osako to make it 4-0 on aggregate.
Though the J1 League side reduced the deficit through a stunning Yotaro Nakajima free-kick 14 minutes later, no more goals in Singapore on Wednesday meant that the hosts progressed to the semi-finals - the first leg of which will be played in Singapore.
Suphanat sends Buriram through
Suphanat Mueanta scored a 58th-minute winner as Thailand’s Buriram United posted a hard-fought 1-0 win against Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim in the second leg of their AFC Champions League Elite last-16 tie to progress to the quarter-finals.
After the first leg in Buriram ended goalless, JDT threatened to go ahead as Bergson had a goal ruled out for offside following a VAR review before Afiq Fazail struck the woodwork inside the first half hour of the return leg.
But it was the Shopee Cup semi-finalists who emerged on top as Suphanat curled a shot into the top corner with his left foot to send Osmar Loss’ side through to the last eight.
Buriram, whose only quarter-final appearance in Asia’s top-tier club competition came in 2013 when they lost to Esteghlal FC, will know their next opponents when the draw takes place on Monday.
Svay Rieng confirm semi-final spot
Cambodia’s PKR Svay Rieng FC secured their place in the AFC Challenge League semi-finals despite a 2-1 defeat to fellow Shopee Cup side Shan United of Myanmar in the second leg of their quarter-final contest on Thursday.
Khun Kyaw Zin Hein and Ye Yint Aung scored for the Myanmar National League champions in Yangon while Moresche netted a penalty for Svay Rieng, who progressed 7-4 on aggregate.
The Cambodian Premier League side will now face Madura United of Indonesia in the two-legged semi-finals next month.
Photos: Buriram United and Lion City Sailors FC
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