Home pull off narrow win over Binh Duong

AFC CUP 2009

SINGAPORE: Home United kicked off their AFC Cup Group H campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Vietnamese champions Binh Duong at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday.

Juma’at Jantan opened the scoring for the Singapore side on the stroke of half-time and Cameroonian striker Kengne Ludovick added a second just before the hour.

Kesley Alves cut the deficit in the 75th minute but despite laying siege to the Home goal in the closing minutes, Binh Duong were unable to find an equaliser.

Home had the better of the early chances but Binh Duong went close in the 24th minute when South African striker Philani Kubheka fired across the face of goal from a tight angle.

The Vietnamese had an excellent opening seven minutes later when a Kesley cross was half-cleared to an unmarked Nguyen Duc Thien, whose shot from the edge of the box flashed narrowly wide.

Home took the lead with virtually the final kick of the half as Shahril cut into the box from the left and attempted a shot which was deflected into the path of an unmarked Juma’at, and he lashed past Tran Minh Quang from 10 yards.

Itimi Dickson should have extended Home’s lead six minutes into the second-half when he was sent clear by Shahril only to be denied by Minh Quang.

But Home got their second in the 59th minute as Shi Jiayi launched a quick counter-attack, working his way to the edge of the Binh Duong box before squaring for Ludovick, who surprised Minh Quang with a snap shot that wrong-footed the goalkeeper and rolled into the corner of the net.

With 15 minutes remaining Kesley pulled a goal back, firing home at the second attempt after his initial header off a cross by Nguyen Vu Phong had been stopped by goalkeeper Lionel Lewis.

The Vietnamese side cranked up the pressure in the closing minutes and nearly levelled with five minutes left as a corner found Helio, whose shot from point blank range was cleared off the line by S Subramani.