Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
Home United had super-sub Firdaus Idros to thank for continuing their Asian journey as his brace helped them secure a 3-1 home victory and progress into the round of 16 at the expense of their AFC Cup opponents Provincial Electrical Authority (PEA) of Thailand.
His match-winning act came after Narongchai Vachiraban had cancelled out Peres de Oliveira’s first-half injury-time opener midway through the second half.
The victory enabled the Protectors to finish as Group H runners-up behind Vietnamese side Becamex Binh Duong and move on to meet Hong Kong champions South China in the one-off game on 23 June.
The home side came into the game knowing that only a win would do if they were to stay in the competition beyond the group stage.
They welcomed skipper S. Subramani back into the starting lineup after he was rested on the bench in their last three domestic matches.
Home piled the pressure on PEA from the start as they sought for the goals that would fulfill their mission objective.
Cameroonian defender Valery Hiek came close to giving the Protectors a dream start inside 10 minutes, when his header off a Syed Fadhil flick-on was tipped over by Electric Men goalkeeper Umarin Yaodam.
Efforts from Tengku Mushadad and Shi Jiayi were also denied by desperate defending from the visitors to keep the score goalless.
While the red shirts were busy pounding away at the visiting defence, Narongchai was causing many problems for them at the other end of the field.
The Thailand international was influential in his attacking midfield role as he set up defence-splitting passes for his teammates to penetrate into the Home box.
Home initially struggled to cope with the threat as they resorted to rough fouls to prevent him from creating further damage.
His direct free kick midway through the first half had Protectors custodian Lionel Lewis at full stretch to deny it from going into the net.
Meanwhile Umarin was the busiest man on the pitch for the night as he was called upon time and again to keep the Home onslaught at bay.
The PEA resistance was finally broken on the stroke of half-time, when Oliveira stepped up to curl in a direct free kick on the edge of the box to give Home a 1-0 lead.
The home side carried on where they left off after the break as they continued to press forward in search of the goal that could secure their ticket to the knockout phase.
Shahril Ishak nearly doubled the lead minutes from the restart when he outmuscled his marker to keep the ball in play and burst into the penalty area. His final touch left much to be desired though.
Narongchai made the Protectors pay for their profligacy in front of goal when he crashed in a free kick past Lewis to level the score at 1-1 against the run of play in the 56th minute.
The home side nearly fell behind shortly after, when PEA forward Supakit Jinajai saw his quick shot deflected just past the post.
Sensing the tide turning against his side, Home coach PN Sivaji sent on Firdaus in place of Itimi Dickson in the 64th minute to rejuvenate their attack.
It turned out to be an inspired substitution as the former Young Lions trainee scored to give his team the advantage within three minutes of his entry.
He timed his run to perfection as he evaded the attention of the Electric Men to convert a Shi right-sided cross at close range.
The home side were lifted by the breakthrough goal as they regained the confidence to push for another to put the result beyond doubt.
Stung by the latest setback, PEA threw men forward in search for the equalizer to hand the initiative back in their favour, only to find Subramani and Hiek in an uncompromising mood in defence.
Firdaus secured Home’s progress with four minutes to go when he exploited gaps in the PEA defence to burst through and coolly slot the ball into the net to make it 3-1.
The final whistle marked the end of the Thai champions’ involvement in Asian club competition this year after Home followed uniformed rivals Singapore Armed Forces (then in the AFC Champions League playoff) in eliminating them.
Electric Men coach Thongsuk Sampahangsit congratulated his opponents for their victory and admitted they deserved to progress.
“Home played well as they displayed good abilities and showed good form,” he said.
“Games between Singapore and Thailand teams were always closely fought and the gap in form and tactics was very narrow.
“But Home had better players than us and played well to win.”
He lamented his side’s inability to hold on to the draw when they were at 1-1.
“We had many players unavailable through injuries and suspensions and were not able to adjust well on the field to suit our play,” he added.
“When we scored, we had chances to increase the lead, but were unable to protect our defence.”
His Home counterpart Sivaji was praised his side as they battled to earn a place in the last 16.
“I am very delighted with the result as PEA are a very good side,” he said.
“Credit to the boys, they really wanted to go into the next round and took their chances well.”
He singled out two-goal hero Firdaus and Subramani for their roles in the victory.
“Firdaus is such a delight tonight. He is a bundle of energy and quite unpredictable in his movements,” he observed.
“No one thought he was going to creep in behind them to get the cross and show great composure to finish. I thought he should be in the SEA Games squad.
“People may question Mani about his age, but he is very experienced and commands the defence well, keeping the defenders in their positions.
“Although he has not played much recently, he is a fighter and showed it tonight. I am very happy with his contribution as it must have taken a lot out of him.”
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