Bali United made the perfect start to their 2022 AFC Cup campaign after seeing off Malaysia’s Kedah Darul Aman 2-0 at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium on Friday night’s Group G action.
The reigning Indonesian champions took full advantage of a capacity crowd at the Dipta as they relentlessly pressed Kedah throughout the match, with the likes of Nadeo Argawinata, Leonard Tupamahu, Jean Befolo Mbarga, and Eber Bessa impressing in their own right.
Playing in front of their faithful Semeton Dewata for the first time in two years, Bali United went straight for the high-press, growing themselves into the game that was played underneath torrential downpour.
Brazilian playmaker Bessa managed to carve open the Kedah defense from the right flank in the 28th minute, with his cross being welcomed by a thumping header from Willian Pacheco that struck the woodwork. Tupamahu was there for the rebound, however unfortunately the veteran defender’s effort went off-target.
Mahmoud Al-Mardi, an AFC Cup winner with Al-Muharraq last season, reminded the Dipta of Kedah’s potency in the 40th minute, with the Jordanian’s efforts forcing Nadeo to remain on his toes. Two excellent saves from the Indonesia international kept Bali United’s chances alive and the Serdadu Tridatu took the lead right in the final minute of stoppage-time.
With half-time only seconds away, Bessa sent a free-kick from outside the area into the Kedah box. The Canaries’ captain Ronald Ngah was marking Bali United skipper Ilija Spasojevic within the area, with the Cameroonian deflecting the ball away from the naturalized Indonesian. Unfortunately for Kedah, and much to the delight of the Bali United support, the ball made its way into Ifwat Akmal’s goal, ensuring that Bali United would head back into the dressing room with a single goal advantage to their name.
The second half saw more of the same from Bali United, with Mbarga in particular a menace from the right flank. The former Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng player worked hard in threatening Akmal’s goal, however his shots went off-target while his attempts in assisting his teammates saw them squandering their own chances.
However, Mbarga ensured that the result was well and truly sealed in the 82nd minute, once again crossing from the right and into the Kedah penalty area. The ball missed Spasojevic who was the intended target, however substitute M. Rahmat was on-hand to head the ball into Akmal’s goal, allowing Bali United to finally get themselves some breathing space and see out the win.
Group G’s early kick-off saw a huge shock as debutants Visakha FC of Cambodia came from behind to stun Filipino tournament regulars Kaya FC-Iloilo 2-1.
There were plenty of goals in Ho Chi Minh City as the Thong Nhat Stadium saw two high-scoring games in Group I, with hosts Viettel FC thrashing Laos’ Young Elephants 5-1 on the back of a Pedro Paulo hat-trick, while Singapore’s Hougang United recover from being two goals down to edge out Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown 4-3.
Group H’s only game on Friday saw Indonesia’s PSM Makassar and Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City playing out a 0-0 draw at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.