Binh Duong 2-0 Home Utd: Vietnamese through

AFC CUP 2009

BINH DUONG - Binh Duong cemented their place in the next round of the AFC Cup with a 2-0 victory over Home United at Binh Duong Stadium on Tuesday.

The visitors started brightly but struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities and were punished for their profligacy as Kasley Alves opened the scoring in the 62nd minute. Nguyen Vu Phuong then sealed the win for Binh Duong with 12 minutes remaining.

Following Thai champions Provincial Electric Authority’s 4-1 win over Club Valencia, Home have dropped to third place in Group H, although a win in Singapore over the Thais will still be enough to earn them qualify for the last 16.

Shi Jiayi had the only notable chance of the first half as Binh Duong took a defensive approach to the game in the opening stages and his shot from the edge of the penalty area was well saved by Nguyen The Anh.

Home were made to rue that save however, as the hosts took the lead in the 61st minute when the defence failed to deal with a cross and the ball fell to Alves, who sidestepped his marker before smashing the ball beyond the reach of Lionel Lewis.

That goal sparked Binh Duong into life and the V-League champions committed more players into attack, making the match a more open affair.

However, Home United still struggled to find a breakthrough and were being limited to long-range efforts by a resolute Binh Duong defence.

The hosts put the game beyond Home with 12 minutes remaining when Nguyen picked up the ball and slotted home a fine finish for the hosts.

Home had the chance to pull a goal back in the 82nd minute when Kengne Ludovick and Oliveira combined to send Shahril Ishak through down the left flank but the 25-year-old was well denied by the Binh Duong goalkeeper.