It was the battle of two AFC Champions League group stage debutants on Saturday as BG Pathum United faced-off against Kaya FC-Iloilo in the opening match of Group F at the Leo Stadium in Pathum Thani. Hosts and favorites BGPU managed to see off their opponents in a 4-1 demolition job, while Saturday’s other match at the Leo Stadium saw defending champions Ulsan Hyundai scraping a 1-0 win over Viettel FC thanks to a late goal from Lukas Hinterseer.
BG Pathum United (Thailand) 4-1 Kaya FC-Iloilo (Philippines)
Hosting Kaya at the Glass Rabbits’ very own stadium, BGPU were treated with a blistering start from the visitors as the 2020 Philippines Football League runners-up tried their best to etch their mark early into the game. However, the Visayans were unable to break down a compact BGPU defense marshaled by captain Victor Cardozo.
It didn’t took BGPU long for them to find their first sniff at Louie Casas’ goal, with Diogo managing to beat Carlyle Mitchell to the ball before laying it off towards Thitiphan Puangchan in the 7th minute. Almost immediately Thitiphan rifled in a shot, but Casas managed to deflect the incoming ball away with his gloves.
Legendary Thai striker Teerasil Dangda then announced his return to the ACL with a bang in the 23rd minute, seizing upon a Santiphap Channgom cross that slipped through Casas’ hands with a shot that was deflected away by a Kaya defender. Teerasil wasted no time in latching onto the rebound and finish things off from point-blank range, giving BGPU the lead.
Diogo then scored BGPU’s second of the evening in the 35th minute, receiving a through ball from Thitiphan before rounding an onrushing Casas and slotting the ball home into the empty net.
Things went from bad to worse for Kaya in the second half after Simone Rota was shown the red card for a last-man foul on Diogo in the 49th minute, before the Brazilian executed the ensuing free-kick himself that pierced its way into Casas’ goal, making it 3-0 BGPU.
The BGPU party train did not stop there though and the Glass Rabbits made it 4-0 in the 59th minute. Diogo managed to cross the ball towards strike partner Teerasil, who headed home past Casas.
Marwin Angeles managed to pull one back for Kaya in the 82nd minute, but by then the damage has already been done.
With a tie against defending champions Ulsan up in the horizon, the huge win was a much-needed statement of intent from BGPU who are set to become the South Koreans’ toughest competitors in Group F.
Viettel FC (Vietnam) 0-1 Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea)
Ulsan kicked-off their title defense with a win over 2020 V.League 1 champions Viettel, however the Horang-i were made to work very hard for their three points.
Unfancied Viettel were coached by technical director Hans-Jurgen Gede following Truong Viet Hoang’s lack of certification to coach in the ACL, however they implemented the same stubborn defense that won them the V.League 1 title last year.
Led by captain Bui Tien Dung and albeit without Que Ngoc Hai, Viettel’s stern defense frustrated Ulsan to no end. The South Koreans had a 6th minute goal disallowed for offside and from there the Red Tornado shut up shop and denied the constant pressure that Ulsan are applying to them.
The likes of Caique Lemes and Truong Van Thiet threatened Jo Hyeon-woo in the Ulsan goal throughout the match as Viettel attempted to stun their more illustrious opponents, however Ulsan showed their class and kept their control over proceedings despite their inability to break down Viettel’s rock-hard backline.
It took a close-ranged shot from Austrian striker Hinterseer in the first minute of injury-time for Ulsan to get the better of Viettel goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh and his superb defenders, with the ball being deflected by Viettel defender Nguyen Thanh Binh on its way into the goal.
The goal was enough for Ulsan to see off a stubborn Viettel, however the Red Tornado can pat themselves on the back for their admirable performance against the defending champions. Gede and his charges would hope for more of the same or even better as they take on Kaya in their next match on June 29th.