Selangor continued their AFC Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-0 loss over Singapore League (S-League) side Tampines Rovers at the Selayang Stadium tonight.
The Red Giants head coach Zainal Abidin chose to not field the likes of Nazmi Faiz, S. Veenod and R. Gopinathan in his starting line-up. Former Lions XII and Negeri Sembilan coach V. Sundram Moorthy left UEFA Champions League winner Jermaine Pennant out of his first 11.
Tampines Rovers, who beat Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi 4-0 in their first group stage game, started the game brightly by attacking the Malaysian Cup champions from the get go. They played with three central defenders at the back, which allowed their wing-backs the freedom and space to run down the flanks all game long.
Hafiz Sujad tested Selangor goalkeeper Norazlan Razali with a long-range shot which was comfortably saved in the first few minutes of the AFC Cup tie.
On the 10th minute, Mauro Olivi tried the incredible with an acrobatic kick, but he did not manage to get his foot behind the effort. A few minutes later, the Argentinian tested his luck again with a shot from outside the box but it did not generate enough power.
Patrick Wleh Ronaldinho could have opened the scoring two minutes later after he was clean through on goal, but his left-footed attempt just scraped off Izwan Mahmud’s crossbar.
Selangor almost paid the price after a couple of communication errors that led to Rizal Fahmi clearing the ball off the line. However, a poor clearance from Bunyamin Umar dropped at Hafiz Sujad’s feet, whose tame effort allowed Fazrul Nawaz to pounce and score the first goal on the 27th minute. There were a few suspicions of offside but apparently Azmi Muslim played the striker on.
Team captain Shahrol Kalam burst forward to instruct his teammates to put the pressure on the Singaporean side, and the home fans as well as the UltraSel appreciated his gesture.
Selangor made two changes after the second half, bringing on Nazmi Faiz and R. Gopinathan for Saiful Ridzuwan and Hadi Yahaya. Instantly, the Malaysia Super League (MSL) side responded with a great run from Patrick Wleh, who saw his effort cleared off the line.
Indonesian player Andik Vermansyah went on a brilliant run before striking over the bar on the 62nd minute. He took another go at a run and was fouled by Tampines Rovers captain Mustafic Fahrudin a few minutes later. Hafiz Kamal stepped up to take the free kick but his shot was just inches away from levelling the game.
Selangor did all they can to equalize but time was just not on their side.
Tampines Rover sit at the top of Group E with 6 points after two wins.
Other posts by Prashant Kharbanda
