ACL2: Selangor FC Fall To Muangthong, Drop To Third In Group

PETALING JAYA, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- Selangor FC’s hopes of securing three crucial points to advance to the AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) 2024/25 Round of 16 were dashed as they fell 1-2 to Muangthong United at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Stadium here tonight.

The loss saw the Red Giants, who were second in the group standings with seven points before the match, drop to third, overtaken by Muangthong, now a point ahead after five matches.

Selangor must secure a victory against the Philippines' Dynamic Herb Cebu FC in their final group game on Dec 5 and hope other results favour them to confirm their knockout stage slot.

Earlier, Selangor started strongly on home ground, opening the scoring in the fifth minute through Quentin Cheng.

Yohandry Orozco nearly doubled Selangor’s lead in the 37th minute, but his low shot in the opponent’s penalty box narrowly missed the right post.

In the second half, Muangthong came out aggressively, equalising in the 53rd minute through Felicio Brown Forbes, who capitalised on a teammate’s header.

Selangor were unlucky as three of their attempts struck the crossbar. Muangthong, however, seized their opportunity, with Poramet Arjvirai scoring in the 76th minute to secure the victory.

Meanwhile, another Group H match saw South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors thrash Dynamic Herb Cebu 4-0.

Jeonbuk remain at the top of Group H with 12 points, while Dynamic Herb Cebu are at the bottom with just one point.

-- BERNAMA