Selayang: Fazrul Nawaz’s first-half strike ensured Tampines Rovers remain the early front-runners in Group E as their 1-0 win at Malaysia’s Selangor FA on Tuesday saw them maintain their 100% record in the 2016 AFC Cup.
A 4-0 win against Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club of Bangladesh a fortnight ago in Singapore was an impressive opener to their continental campaign, but Fazrulz’s 32nd minute strike was just as important in a hard-fought win at Selayang Municipal Council Stadium.
“Going away from home and getting something back are important for us,” said Tampines Rovers coach V. Sundramoorthy. “Victory is perfect for us and puts us in a good position to qualify for the next round.
“We had to be cautious in our approach and not leave gaps to allow Selangor a way through.”
With a passionate support cheering them on from the packed stands, Selangor tried to claw back their deficit but were unable to find the cutting edge needed.
And as Philippines champions Ceres La Selle defeated Sheik Jamal 2-0 in the group’s earlier tie to go second in Group E, the Malaysian side now see themselves in third place in the early standings.
A cagey opening saw few early chances, bar Tampines midfielder Hafiz Sujad’s speculative long-range effort inside the first three minutes and Patrick Wleh's badly-sliced shot from inside the area at the other end.
But shortly after the half-hour mark, the visitors were in front after capitalising on Selangor defender Mohamad Bunyamin’s failure to clear and Sujad’s shot went as far as team-mate Fazrul who fired home from close range.
Selangor came out strongly in the second half, though, but no one could get on the end of Wleh’s low pass across the six-yard-box after his penetrating run down the right just a minute after the restart, with Gopi Ramchandra unable to trouble Izwan Mahbud with the eventual follow-up.
Hafiz Kamal had a pair of opportunities from free-kicks in the final 18 minutes but the hosts were unable to force Izwan into action as Tampines ensured they kept their perfect record at the top of Group E.
“They tried very hard, but made a clumsy mistake to give away an easy goal,” said Selangor coach Zainal Abidin. “We could create 1,000 chances, but it doesn’t matter if none of them found the net.
“I always emphasised the need to make our chances count but we fumbled. In my opinion the winning goal was offside but it was not an excuse for us.”
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