Dong Tam Long An fail to earn point in AFC Champions League

Choi Sung-kuk scored seven minutes from time as K-League champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma denied Dong Tam Long An”s first point in the AFC Champions League on May 9.

The Korean champions won 2-1 against their Vietnamese hosts, who have yet to earn a single point after five games.

Choi rose high to head home the winner for the Korean outfits. Earlier, Neto Joao Motta opened the scoring after 17 minutes.

Between the Korean side”s goals, Phan Van Tai Em scored his first goal in the AFC Champions League, equalising on the stroke of half-time. Dong Tam Long An”s Tshamala Kabanga came closest to scoring before Tai Em”s equaliser hitting the woodwork.

The Korean side, who need a victory to compete with China”s Shandong Luneng for top position of Group G, started the game aggressively.

They created the first opportunity after 12 minutes when Motta powered a strike, which was saved by Fabio Dos Santos. However, five minutes later, Motta beat Dos Santos, launching a long range effort, that caught Dong Tam Long An”s goalkeeper out of position.

Dong Tam Long An manager Henrique Calisto initially rested prolific Brazilian striker Antonio Rodrigues for the upcoming V-League matches, but brought him on after 26 minute to replace midfielder Phan Thanh Giang.

Rodrigues, after coming in, and his partner Tshamala Kabanga lined up Dong Tam Long An”s attacks. Kabanga was unlucky not to level the score on 31 minutes, when he struck the ball against the woodwork after dispossessing Park Jin-sub.

Two minutes later, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma skipper Kim Sang-sik carelessly lost the ball but Luu Minh Tri”s shot was punched away by goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae.

The home side”s pressure eventually paid off with playmaker Tai Em firing home an equaliser, crashing in a volley after Kabanga”s good cross.

The two teams created their chances after the break. Nguyen Viet Thang and Tai Em hit the Seongnam woodwork. At the other end, Kim Do-heon and Choi Song-kuk tested Santos with long-range efforts.

Kim Dong-hun was a constant threat for Seongnam, forcing a pair of fine reaction saves out of Dos Santos and hitting the post with a header, which beat Dong Tam Long An”s Brazilian goalkeeper on 77 minutes.

Dong Tam Long An, whose game of power and pace sprung into life in the second half,  must have found it hard for them to go down when a draw was on the cards. Park Jin-sub exchanged passes with Kim Dong-hun before sending a good cross, which was chested into the net by Choi.

With Rodrigues missing with a close-range header in the dying minutes and Dong Tam Long An have yet to pick up their first point in the AFC Champions League.

Dong Tam Long An were unlucky as they were denied a point in their previous game against Shandong Luneng going down 3-2 in stoppage time on April 25.

The Vietnamese team will play their final game at the AFC Champions League on May 23 against Australia”s Adelaide United, to whom they had lost 2-0 at home.

Nhan dan