The AFC Cup made its return earlier today as Malaysian side Selangor FA kicked things off with an away clash against Philippines’ Ceres La Salle at the Panaad Stadium.
Both sides had their moments during the game, and the 2-2 draw was probably a fair result, considering that neither side seized the upper hand for a win. But as far as Man of the Match is concerned, Ceres La Salle’s Stephan Shrock edged over everyone, in our eyes.
The German-Filipino midfielder was the star of the game as he scored the first goal of the game and provided the assist for Ceres’ equalizer. His 18th minute out-of-the-box, left-footed finesse shot was placed with pin point accuracy.
The number 11 player also provided the assist for The Busmen’s equalizer with a perfect cross, landing perfectly for Adrian Gallardo to swiftly head into goal past Selangor’s shot stopper, Norazlan Razali.
The on-loan Schrock displayed versatility as he conquered the whole attacking area, playing in both flanks, and in the centre as well. He single-handedly destroyed the Red Giants’ defence with his superb agility, to a point where he managed to dribble past 3 Selangor defenders but was denied a scoring chance by Norazlan.
Players worth mentioning though, were Norazlan Razali who made 4 amazing saves and the Red Giants’ midfielder, Mohd Hafiz Kamal who scored an amazing free kick.
Selangor FA will go on to face Tampines while Ceres FC will face Sheikh Jamal in the 2nd round of the AFC Cup.
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