A gutsy 10-man Selangor FC earned a semi-final berth in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ following a 1-1 draw with BG Pathum United FC in Group A at the MBPJ Stadium on Wednesday night.
Faisal Halim stood tall as team captain for the Malaysian club following a glorious opening goal in the 36th minute, nine minutes after teammate Alvin Fortes was sent off for a clumsy challenge on Kritsada Kaman.
BG Pathum United, who needed a win to advance into the knockout phase for the second successive season, drew level through an own goal in the 63rd minute by Selangor defender Richmond Ankrah.
The home side, debutants in the region’s premier club competition, gallantly hung on for the crucial point to finish runners-up in the group behind defending champions Buriram United FC, who sealed the other semi-final place with a majestic 6-0 win over DH Cebu FC.
The result extended Kim Pan-gon’s unbeaten run to seven games as Selangor head coach following his long-term appointment last month.
Home custodian Kalamullah Al Hafiz was called into action in the 20th minute when he was quick to parry a low right footed effort from Chatmongkol Tongkiri.
The match took a dramatic turn when Fortes was shown a straight red card by Saudi Arabian referee Mohammed Sami Alismail in the 25th minute after a challenge on BG Pathum United captain Kritsada.
As the Thai club asserted their numerical advantage, it was Selangor who snatched an unlikely lead against the run of play through captain Faisal.
Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes, who was named Shopee Star of the Match, launched a run from deep in his own half and fed the ball to Faisal who, after ghosting past two defenders, unleashed a screamer into the top right corner for his fourth goal in the tournament.
Despite dictating play in the second half – the Thai club enjoyed 75 per cent possession in the match – BG Pathum United failed to deliver the finishing touch to trouble a stout Selangor defence, much to their frustration.
The long-awaited equaliser arrived in the 63rd minute. Waris Choolthong drilled a low cross into the danger area which took an unfortunate deflection off the shin of Ankrah and into the Selangor net.
The Thais piled the pressure in search of a winner, with Chatmongkol slamming a long-range effort off the crossbar while Kritsada failed to hit the mark with the rebound.
Kalamullah kept Selangor in the match with another wonderful save from a close-range header by Ikhsan Fandi as BG Pathum United bowed out of the competition.
Shopee Star of the Match - Chrigor Moraes (#91), Selangor FC
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