The first leg of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ semi-finals did not disappoint as four of the biggest clubs of Southeast Asia locked horns for a place in the final of the inaugural tournament on their way to gaining regional supremacy.
The last-four tie between Indonesia’s PSM Makassar and Vietnam’s Công An Hà Nội FC remains finely balanced after the Liga 1 side posted 1-0 win in the first leg while BG Pathum United face a tall order in the return leg after losing 3-1 to fellow Thai League 1 side Buriram United.
The ASEAN football fans were treated to some good goals during the first leg of the semi-finals on Wednesday and ASEAN United FC looks at three that stood out and asks you to pick your favourite among the lot by voting at the bottom of the article.
Pansa Hemviboon (Buriram United)
Supachai Jaided’s opener for Buriram United in the first half was cancelled out by BG Pathum United’s Ilhan Fandi in the 54th minute, but the home side were back in front just three minutes later. And it was centre-back Pansa Hemviboon who restored their advantage in the semi-final first leg as he battled Waris Choolthong inside the box before turning home a corner kick from Peter Zulj. The 34-year-old defender has been a mainstay in the Buriram backline since 2016 and he can add another feather in his cap if he can guide the Thunder Castle to glory in the first edition of the Shopee Cup™.
Yuran Fernandes (PSM Makassar)
Another defender who scored from a corner on Wednesday was Yuran Fernandes but his influence on the result was arguably greater as the Cape Verdean’s goal handed PSM Makassar a 1-0 victory over Công An Hà Nội FC in the first leg at Gelora B.J. Habibie Stadium. Against the Vietnamese side that scored 15 goals in five group stage matches - the most in the tournament - the PSM captain was not only solid in defence in the face of incessant attacks from Công An but also made the difference at the opposite end with a well-timed run to meet Victor Luiz’s corner and score with only 10 minutes left to play.
Guilherme Bissoli (Buriram United)
Guilherme Bissoli’s wonder strike that sealed Thai champions Buriram United’s 3-1 win against BG Pathum United was one that sent the clubs’ fans into raptures. It all began with Buriram captain Supachai Jaided who raced forward with the ball from his own half before feeding his team-mate Bissoli on the left wing. The Brazilian forward decided to cut in towards the centre before firing a strike from more than 25 yards out which beat a fully stretched Saranon Anuin in the opposition goal and nestled into the back of the net. Bissoli’s second goal of the tournament is surely one that will live in the memory of ASEAN football fans for a long time to come.
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