Parepare: Indonesia’s PSM Makassar earned a narrow but priceless 1-0 win against Vietnam’s Công An Hà Nội FC on Wednesday at Gelora B.J. Habibie Stadium in the semi-final first leg of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™.
After a goalless first half, but a first 45 minutes not without drama, Yuran Fernandes grabbed the game’s only goal late into the second half to earn an advantage to take into the second leg.
An Alan Grafite missed penalty in the first half will leave Công An ruing a match which they’ll have felt ought to have been won. It was a miss that proved costly on the night.
It was a game in which Công An looked the most convincing in the final third, but PSM, playing in front of their own supporters in Parepare for the first time in the competition, were resolute and kept the visitors at arm’s length.
PSM got the game started but the first shot came from the visitors with barely two minutes played. A defensive mix-up allowed Le Van Do to have a shot from just outside the area, but his effort went wide.
Công An had looked the most probing in the opening exchanges but had strayed offside on a couple of occasions. But not when skipper Nguyen Quang Hai broke through to latch onto a smart throughball from Jason Pendant and was scythed down by Yuran in the box to win a penalty in the 13th minute.
Up stepped Grafite to take, but his spot kick was saved superbly by Reza Arya Pratama down to his left. The save seemed to galvanize the hosts, who started to look a bit brighter thereafter.
Công An defender Hugo Gomes came close to opening the scoring on 26 minutes, but his header from a corner bounced across the face of goal and out for a goal kick.
PSM's best chance of the first half fell on 33 minutes when Rizky Eka Pratama found space in the box, but his low shot towards the far corner went agonisingly wide.
On 42 minutes, in what was a well-worked set-piece routine, a Van Do corner was sent to the outside of the box on the far side for Quang Hai to chance a volley, but his stinging effort produced a good save by the goalkeeper.
An incisive counter-attack in first-half injury time very nearly led to the hosts taking the lead, but despite Rizky twisting and turning in the box, his shot was parried away, and the two sides went in at the interval at 0-0.
PSM goalkeeper Reza was carried off on a stretcher at half time so Hilman Syah was brought on in his place.
The visitors looked to seize early control of the second half and continued to have more of the ball than the hosts, but PSM did well to maintain their shape and make it difficult for the Vietnamese side to find a breakthrough.
On 57 minutes, PSM had a good chance to break the deadlock when the lively Rizky played in Victor Luiz in the box, but the Brazilian dragged his shot across goal and out for a goal kick.
In the 80th minute, somewhat against the run of play, it was a set-piece that enabled PSM to break the deadlock. Yuran was unmarked six yards out and able to nod home a Luiz corner from the right.
After seven tense minutes of time added on, the referee put his whistle to his lips and called time. PSM have a 1-0 aggregate lead to take into the all-important second leg on April 30 in Hanoi.
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