BG Pathum United FC head coach Masatada Ishii was delighted with his side’s 2-0 win over DH Cebu FC on Wednesday as the Thai League 1 outfit remained in contention for a place in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™.
Second half goals from Kritsada Kaman and Ikhsan Fandi earned BG Pathum United a win that moves the club onto seven points from four matches and leaves Ishii’s side one point adrift of Group A leaders Selangor FC with one round remaining.
“It was a very valuable three points for us,” said the former Kashima Antlers head coach. “We were also able to keep a clean sheet, which shows that the hard work we have been doing in training has paid off.
“We have many matches coming up, especially during this month, so squad rotation is very important for us.
“The players who started tonight have shown very good performances in training. You could see the teamwork on the pitch, and once again we managed to keep a clean sheet, which reflects the overall effort of the squad.”
The win means BG Pathum United’s clash with Selangor next week will be crucial in the battle for a place in the semi-finals, with the Malaysia Super League side only needing a draw to be sure of advancing.
Ishii, however, was refusing to look beyond his side’s upcoming commitments in Thai League 1 against Chiangrai United FC on Saturday.
“Selangor FC are in good form at the moment, and their new coach has been doing very well,” Ishii said of recently appointed Kim Pan-gon, who has led Selangor to five wins in a row in all competitions.
“However, we still have several games before that match. We need to focus step by step, one game at a time. We will also prepare thoroughly through video analysis and training sessions before turning our full attention to that match.”
The result was DH Cebu’s third defeat in four matches in the Shopee Cup™ and confirmed the club’s inability to progress beyond the group phase, but coach Glenn Ramos praised his injury affected squad.
“I am really proud of my players,” he said. “They did their best in this game, especially considering that we did not have enough players available.
“We have six first-team players out injured, but the players who stepped onto the pitch fought all the way from the first whistle until the 90th minute. We defended as a unit and showed good team organisation.”
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