Top clubs from across Southeast Asia returned to action in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ as the third set of group stage fixtures in the inaugural tournament were played on Wednesday and Thursday.
The competition for booking places in the semi-finals is also heating up, with only two matchdays remaining to find out which of the four sides will progress to the knockout stages.
As we cross the halfway point of the group stage, ASEAN United FC looks at the players who were named the Shopee Star of the Match in the latest games and asks you, the fans, to vote for your favourite in the poll at the bottom of the article.
Manny Ott (Terengganu FC)
Having also found the back of the net against PRK Svay Rieng FC and Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC, Manny Ott took his red-hot form in the Shopee Cup to 2025 as his double in their first win against Shan United FC took his tally to four goals in three matches – matching Buriram United’s Lucas Crispim as the tournament’s leading goalscorer.
After Safawi Rasid gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in Yangon, 32-year-old Ott picked out the top corner to double the Turtles’ advantage before the Philippines international planted an easy header just past the hour mark for his second. Ott will hope his displays will help Terengganu mount a late challenge for a place in the knockouts.
Doan Ngoc Tan (Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC)
Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC remain unbeaten in Group A following a 1-1 draw with Thailand’s BG Pathum United and it was their captain, Doan Ngoc Tan, who scored the goal which leaves the two sides two points behind group toppers PSM Makassar with two matchdays left to play.
The 30-year-old Vietnam international struck with one of the goals of the tournament when he volleyed home a Yago Ramos header in the 71st minute. Though they were denied all three points by a Sanchai Nontasila goal four minutes from time, Ngoc Tan’s display down the left-hand side was the standout in the Group A fixture.
Nermin Haljeta (PSM Makassar)
Slovenian striker Nermin Haljeta was PSM Makassar’s biggest threat of the game in attack as the Indonesians posted a narrow 1-0 victory over Cambodian champions PRK Svay Rieng FC in Phnom Penh to rise to the top of Group A with seven points after three rounds.
It only took Haljeta 38 seconds to open the scoring for Bernardo Tavares’s side as he chipped Svay Rieng goalkeeper Vireak Dara after latching onto a pass from Victor Dethan. The 27-year-old could have added a third goal of the tournament to his tally later on, but his strike in the 60th minute was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
Le Van Do (Công An Hà Nôi FC)
Le Van Do was one of the standout performers for Công An Hà Nôi FC in their commanding 5-0 win against Lion City Sailors FC on Matchday Two with a goal and an assist and on Thursday, the 23-year-old midfielder resumed from where he left off by scoring again against Kaya FC-Iloilo.
The Kaya defence allowed Van Do enough space inside the box and the Cong An man made them pay the price as he struck a precise shot which sailed past the defenders and goalkeeper Walid Birrou and opened the scoring for the Vietnamese side in the 16th minute.
Maxime Lestienne (Lion City Sailors FC)
The otherwise prolific Maxime Lestienne had a quiet start to the Shopee Cup as Lion City Sailors FC lost both of their opening games in the tournament, but he finally opened his account on Matchday Three against Kuala Lumpur City FC to help the Singaporean side register their first victory.
The Belgian started and finished the attack to seal the 2-0 win in the 66th minute as he played the ball into Bart Ramselaar before receiving it back after making a run into the box. Lestienne still had to beat Azri Ghani from a tight angle and did so with panache as he gently lifted the ball over the Kuala Lumpur custodian and into the goal.
Guilherme Bissoli (Buriram United)
It was a birthday to remember for Guilherme Bissoli as the Buriram United forward marked turning 27 with his first-ever goal in the Shopee Cup in the Thai champions’ 4-0 victory against Borneo FC Samarinda for their second consecutive victory in the competition.
The Brazilian forward did brilliantly well to bring a quick free-kick from Theerathon Bunmathan under his control before slotting past Indonesia custodian Nadeo Argawinata to double their lead, only two minutes after Lucas Crispim had opened the scoring.
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