ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ champions Buriram United FC collected a valuable point on the road with a 0-0 draw against former winners Ulsan HD FC from Korea Republic on Matchday Five of the AFC Champions League Elite.
The Thai side spent long spells under pressure but restricted Roh Sang-rae’s Ulsan side to limited clear chances, with goalkeeper Neil Etheridge called into action late on to preserve the clean sheet.
The result places Buriram in eighth place in the eastern league phase standings on seven points, level with Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, who slipped to a 2-0 loss against Australia’s Melbourne City FC.
The Malaysian champions fell to a 2-0 defeat at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium after conceding once in each half, with Max Caputo and Medin Memeti on target for the hosts.
The first eight finishers in the 12-team league phase will advance to the last 16, which will be played in March. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be held in Saudi Arabia in April.
In the AFC Champions League Two, Công An Hà Nội FC booked their place in the knockout rounds as Mano Pölking’s side defeated Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan FC 2-1 in Hanoi.
The V.League 1 side had to battle back from going behind to an early Lin Liangming effort but two goals in the final 14 minutes from Stefan Mauk and Nguyễn Đình Bắc earned Công An Hà Nội a win that secured a berth in the next phase from Group E.
Tampines Rovers FC also qualified for the last 16 with a 5-3 win over Kaya FC-Iloilo from the Philippines with Hide Higashikawa scoring twice as Noh Rahman’s team moved into top spot in Group H.
BG Pathum United FC, however, lost 2-0 to Pohang Steelers FC from Korea Republic to sit in third in the standings on six points. The result means the Thai League 1 side cannot claim a top two finish and are eliminated.
Bangkok United FC drew 1-1 with Selangor FC and that point was enough to guarantee the Thai side’s progress to the next round from Group G while Selangor are eliminated.
Lion City Sailors FC strengthened their push for qualification from the same group with a 3-2 home victory over Persib Bandung with Anderson Lopes scoring in the 71st minute to secure the three points for Aleksandar Ranković’s team.
Nam Định FC’s hopes of progressing suffered a later blow in Group F as stoppage time goals from Sidcley and Ikhsan Fandi saw the Vietnamese side lose 2-0 against Ratchaburi FC. The result leaves them in third, three points behind Ratchaburi with one game remaining.
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