Phnom Penh Crown stun Gangwon and Lion City Sailors win at Tai Po in ACL Two as Tampines lose late

Southeast Asian clubs had a mixed night in the AFC Champions League Two on Thursday, 15 October. Cambodia's Phnom Penh Crown won 2-1 away at K League side Gangwon FC. Lion City Sailors won 1-0 at Tai Po in Hong Kong. Tampines Rovers lost to a stoppage-time goal against Japan's Machida Zelvia, and PKR Svay Rieng drew 0-0 with Shanghai Shenhua.

Phnom Penh Crown make it two from two

The biggest result of the night came in Gangneung. Gito Milan put Phnom Penh Crown ahead a minute before half-time. Gangwon levelled from the penalty spot early in the second half, but Moses Dyer scored a penalty of his own in the 78th minute to win it for the visitors.

Phnom Penh Crown have now won both Group H games and lead with six points. They beat Malaysia's Kuching City on matchday one. The other three teams in the group have a point each: Gangwon, Kitchee, and Kuching, who drew 1-1 with Kitchee in Sarawak on the same night.

Phaeton earns Sailors their first win

In Group F, the Singapore club won at Mong Kok Stadium with a set-piece goal early in the second half. Giovanni Haag swung in a corner, Toni Datkovic flicked it on, and Matthias Phaeton finished past Tai Po goalkeeper Tse Ka Wing. It was Phaeton's first continental goal for the club.

Tai Po made it hard for the Sailors after that, and Diogo Costa cleared one effort off the line late on. Tse had already stopped an early header from Ilhan Fandi. Head coach Mark Jackson called it "three important points for us in this competition."

The win takes the Sailors to four points and second place, behind Adelaide United on six. They drew their opener with BG Pathum United. Adelaide came from behind to win 2-1 at BG Pathum on the same evening. Marin Jurina scored for the Thai side in the second minute, Craig Goodwin equalised, and Ethan Alagich got the winner in the 77th minute. Pathum have one point and Tai Po have none.

Late heartbreak for Tampines

At Jalan Besar Stadium, Tampines Rovers kept Machida Zelvia out for 90 minutes. Then substitute defender Henry Mochizuki scored four minutes into stoppage time to give the J1 League side a 1-0 win. Tampines did not manage a shot on target all night. The result puts Machida top of Group G.

Svay Rieng hold Shenhua

In the same group, Svay Rieng held Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua to a 0-0 draw in Phnom Penh. The draw gave Svay Rieng their first point of the campaign and kept Shenhua behind Machida in the standings.

With four matchdays left, only Phnom Penh Crown of the region's clubs have a perfect record. Lion City Sailors are well placed in Group F. The Sailors return to Singapore Premier League action against FC Jurong at Jurong East Stadium on Sunday, 18 October, at 7.30pm, which is the same time in Malaysia.

Key takeaways

• Phnom Penh Crown won 2-1 at Gangwon and lead ACL Two Group H with six points.
• Matthias Phaeton's early second-half goal gave Lion City Sailors a 1-0 win at Tai Po and second place in Group F.
• Henry Mochizuki's goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time gave Machida a 1-0 win over Tampines Rovers.
• Svay Rieng drew 0-0 with Shanghai Shenhua, and BG Pathum lost 2-1 at home to Adelaide United.

FAQ

Who scored for Lion City Sailors against Tai Po? Matthias Phaeton scored the only goal early in the second half, after Toni Datkovic flicked on Giovanni Haag's corner.

Which Southeast Asian club is unbeaten with two wins in ACL Two? Phnom Penh Crown. They beat Kuching City and Gangwon and top Group H with six points.

How did Tampines Rovers lose to Machida Zelvia? Substitute Henry Mochizuki scored four minutes into stoppage time at Jalan Besar for a 1-0 Machida win.

Sources: AFC (the-afc.com), Lion City Sailors FC, Little Big Red Dot, Star News Korea, Newswav