Southeast Asia

SEA Club Focus – Cup Underdogs 2019

By: , July 4, 2019 8:22 pm
Credit – @RanongFC

With games from the Piala Indonesia, Vietnamese National Cup, Malaysia FA Cup, and Thai League Cup all being played this week, it seems like the ideal time to look at some of the underdog teams which have made an impression in these knockout competitions. This week’s club focus feature looks at the sides which have punched above their weight in the cups this season:

Vietnam

Quang Nam FC (V.League) 

After winning the league in 2017, Quang Nam FC has significantly dropped their form. They finished 11th in the league last season and struggled to find the best this year, ending the first leg of the season in 13th place, in the relegation zone. Under this circumstance, many fans thought that they will not focus on the cup. However, despite their predicament in the league, they played well in the knockout competition and managed wins over teams with much better form, like Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, to reach the semi-final of the National Cup.

Indonesia

Persidago Gorontalo (Liga 3) 

Persidago became one of only two and non-Liga 1 club on the last 16 of the 2018-2019 Piala Indonesia, and the only from the third tier. They reached that stage after pulling off a win on away goals against first division side Persipura Jayapura. Like all teams, they started the journey from Phase One with all 128 clubs and win against PS Matra 2-1. Going through the Phase Two their opponents Persepal Palu withdrew from the competition, setting up a Round of 32 clash with Persipura Jayapura. The third division side won 1-0 in Gorontalo and scored an away goal in their 2-1 loss in Jayapura, earning them a spot in the next round. Unfortunately, the "Giant Killer" story ended on that phase after loss from Persebaya Surabaya over two legs with the score 1-11 on aggregate.

Malaysia

FELDA United (Malaysia Super League)

Felda United embarked on the FA Cup campaign in the second round when they won against Kuching. In the third round, they managed to beat a more fancied Selangor FA side, one of the strongest teams in the Super League, with a 2-1 victory. They managed to qualify for the quarter-finals to meet Kuala Lumpur where they managed to beat the City Boys with an away goal after a 3-3 draw.

In their semi-final meeting with Kedah, they lost 0-1 in the first round but beat The Red Eagles 3-2 in the home leg. However the two away goals scored on the night helped Kedah progress despite the semifinal tie finishing 3-3 on aggregate, denying Felda a chance to play at the showpiece event by the smallest of margins.

Thailand

Ranong United (Thai League 3)

Third tier side Ranong United defeated T1 outfit Sukhothai FC on their way to the quarter-final of the League Cup. 26 places separate the two teams on the league hierarchy but you wouldn't know that seeing how the Firebats were completely outworked and outplayed at a fully packed, rain-soaked, Ranong Provincial Stadium. Recently this little southern club has made a name for themselves as somewhat of a giant killer, having beaten first tier outfit PTT Rayong in the previous round. In last season's edition, the Andaman Sharks eliminated Ratchaburi FC via penalty shootout and managed a stunning 2-1 win over powerhouse Bangkok United. After falling short at the quarter final stage last season, the side now have the chance to improve on their already phenomenal accomplishment.

Vietnam

Quang Nam FC (V.League) 

After winning the league in 2017, Quang Nam FC has significantly dropped their form. They finished 11th in the league last season and struggled to find the best this year, ending the first leg of the season in 13th place, in the relegation zone. Under this circumstance, many fans thought that they will not focus on the cup. However, despite their predicament in the league, they played well in the knockout competition and managed wins over teams with much better form, like Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, to reach the semi-final of the National Cup.

Indonesia

Persidago Gorontalo (Liga 3) 

Persidago became one of only two and non-Liga 1 club on the last 16 of the 2018-2019 Piala Indonesia, and the only from the third tier. They reached that stage after pulling off a win on away goals against first division side Persipura Jayapura. Like all teams, they started the journey from Phase One with all 128 clubs and win against PS Matra 2-1. Going through the Phase Two their opponents Persepal Palu withdrew from the competition, setting up a Round of 32 clash with Persipura Jayapura. The third division side won 1-0 in Gorontalo and scored an away goal in their 2-1 loss in Jayapura, earning them a spot in the next round. Unfortunately, the "Giant Killer" story ended on that phase after loss from Persebaya Surabaya over two legs with the score 1-11 on aggregate.

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