Bali United made the perfect start to their 2023 AFC Cup campaign after the 2-time Indonesian champions had battered debutants Stallion Laguna of the Philippines 5-2 at the Binan Football Stadium on Wednesday.
The match at Binan was Bali United’s third visit to the Philippines, and while the previous two ended in disappointment for the Serdadu Tridatu – a 1-1 draw with Global Cebu in 2018 and a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Ceres-Negros in 2020 – this time out Stefano Cugurra Teco’s men were determined to leave the archipelago with all three points.
Bali United went straight for the jugular after kick-off but despite their attacking start, the match was quite slow-paced and it took the Serdadu Tridatu 27 minutes to open the scoring.
Brazilian playmaker Eber Bessa found Ilija Spasojevic and the Montenegrin-born Indonesia international made no mistake with his execution, curling a shot that went past Hayeson Pepito in the Stallion goal to give Bali United their deserved lead.
Stallion, who were fortunate to qualify for this season’s AFC Cup following the withdrawals of United City FC and the Azkals Development Team from last season’s Philippines Football League, drew level at the half-hour mark, after Junior Ngong Sam had finished off an excellent team move with a sublime effort that went beyond the reaches of Bali United goalkeeper Adilson Maringa.
Three minutes later and Bali United regained their lead, this time a corner from Bessa was headed in emphatically by Haudi Abdillah.
The first half was concluded by two missed penalties, with Bali United’s Spasojevic seeing his effort being parried away by Pepito in the 41st minute, before the last action of the first half saw Stallion’s Griffin McDaniel being denied from the spot by Maringa.
Bali United then went 3-1 up in the 54th minute, after substitute Mohammed Rashid had gotten the better of Pepito with a powerful cannonball after an excellent ball from Jean Befolo Mbarga.
The game was then sealed nine minutes after the hour-mark, with Bali United scoring twice in quick succession. Substitute M. Rahmat made it 4-1 in the 69th minute with a tap-in into an empty net after he had outsmarted Pepito, before Spasojevic completed his brace in the 72nd minute with a drive that trickled its way past the goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner.
Abraham Placito’s 88th minute reduced the deficit for Stallion but by then it was too little too late as Bali United held on for all three points.