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ALOR STAR – A hat-trick by Azrul Ahmad steered Kedah to a comprehensive 7-0 win over Hanoi ACB at the Darulaman Stadium on Tuesday, boosting the Malaysian side’s hope of advancing to the last 16 of the AFC Cup.

The emphatic victory meant that the Malaysian treble winners remained tied on seven points with Hong Kong side Eastern Athletic, who ended Chonburi’s perfect record in Group G with a 2-1 win.

But Kedah’s better record in the head-to-head meetings with Eastern Athletic means that they will progress if they beat Chonburi in Bangkok in a fortnight’s time.

Kedah threw away a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw with Eastern Athletic last month but made no mistake this time round after building a three-goal lead at half-time.

Despite the absence of the suspended Khyril Muhymeen Zambri and Badrol Bakhtiar, the home side dominated from the start with Faizal Abu Bakar’s corner in the opening minute falling at the feet of Farizal Razali who shot straight at goalkeeper Nguyen Duc Thang.

Kedah broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when Farizal broke through the centre before playing the ball to Azrul, who blasted home a shot from inside the box.

The home side then took full control with a pair of quick goals as Azrul knocked in his second on the half-hour mark before Farizal made it 3-0 three minutes later.

There was no let-up in the second half as Kedah extended their lead when Afif Amiruddin poked in during a 63rd minute melee before Sabre Mat Abu added his side’s fifth five minutes later.

Azrul converted a penalty after he was brought down in the Hanoi box in the 80th minute to complete his hat-trick before Shahrulnizam Mustapa completed the scoring with a seventh deep into injury time.

KEDAH mengamuk di Stadium Darul Aman, Alor Setar malam tadi.

Mereka tampil bergaya apabila membelasah kelab ACB Hanoi 7-0 pada perlawanan Kumpulan G Piala Konfederasi Bola Sepak Asia (AFC).

Walaupun turun tanpa empat tonggak utama tetapi skuad tuan rumah mempergunakan sepenuhnya peluang beraksi di Stadium Darul Aman.

Berbekal misi untuk mengutip tiga mata penuh, kesebelasan Kedah mempamerkan kesungguhan yang sungguh luar biasa tanpa memberi sebarang ruang kepada lawan untuk melancarkan gerak.

Gol pembukaan Kedah diperoleh seawal minit ke-13 menerusi Mohd. Azrul Ahmad sebelum dia meledak gol kedua pada minit ke-30.

Selepas itu, Mohd. Farizal Rozali pula mencatat nama sebagai penjaring pada minit ke-33 untuk menjadikan kedudukan 3-0 sehingga tamat separuh masa pertama.

Pada babak kedua, rentak permainan Kedah semakin teratur dan hasilnya mereka terus merobek gawang lawan menerusi jaringan Mohd. Afif Amiruddin pada minit ke- 63.

Mohd. Sabree Abu terus mengukuhkan kedudukan Kedah apabila meledak jaringan kelima pada minit ke-68.

Selepas itu, Kedah dihadiahkan pula dengan sepakan penalti selepas Sabree dijatuhkan oleh pertahanan ACB Hanoi, Ho Tanh Thuong dalam kawasan penalti.

Azrul yang mengambil sepakan tersebut mudah menyempurnakannya untuk melengkapkan jaringan hatriknya ada perlawanan itu.

Shahrulnizam Mustapha menjadikan kedudukan 7-0 pada minit ke-90 bagi melengkapkan malam gemilang skuad Kenari itu.

Sementara itu, satu lagi wakil negara ke Piala AFC, Johor FC tewas 0-2 kepada kelab V.B dari Maldives.

Perlawanan tersebut berlangsung di Stadium Nasional Male, Maldives.

ALOR STAR – The suspension of key players Khyril Muhymeen Zambri and Badrol Bakhtiar will not affect Kedah’s desire to claim all three points against Hanoi ACB on Tuesday in what will be a crucial tie in Group G of the AFC Cup at the Darulaman Stadium.

The Malaysians are currently second in the table behind leaders Chonburi FC of Thailand with four points and a victory will be crucial in maintaining their hopes of progressing to the next round.

But with third-placed Eastern Athletic of Hong Kong level on points and fourth-placed Vietnam’s Hanoi ACB just a point behind, Kedah head coach Mohd Azrai Khor knows that this is one game they can ill-afford to slip up.

“We made some mistakes in the last match when we gave up a two-goal advantage, so this time round, I’m hoping that the boys will improve their game,” said Azrai.

“And while there may be some concern that we will miss Khyril and Badrol, I don’t think that their unavailability will not affect us too much. “We have enough players in our team who can fill in.”

Hanoi ACB, meanwhile, are keen to eradicate the memory of their 6-0 defeat to Chonburi last time out and keep alive their hopes of qualification.

“We have beaten Kedah and while I will admit that things might have changed somewhat in these few months, I see no reason why we cannot win again,” said coach Nguyen Cong Vinh.

“Chonburi were a different class when we played them at home but I don’t think that we will be making the same mistakes when we take on Kedah.

“The team feel confident and if they can get rid of the psychological effect of the big defeat in the last match, then I think that we have a good chance of picking up the full points.”

In the other game in the group, Eastern Athletic coach Chan Hiu Ming is hoping Chonburi will field a weakened side at Mong Kok stadium with the Thais already through to the next stage.

A win for Eastern would put the Hong Kong side in a strong position to claim the other qualification spot.

“Chonburi are the best team in this group and have already qualified,” said Chan, who has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from.

“Of course we want to win this game but a point would be very important for us,.

“Chonburi have already qualified but they may not field their best side which would be good for us.”

Chonburi coach Kiatisuk Senamuang is likely to ring the changes after stating that he will concentrate on the league until after the completion of the group stage of the AFC Cup.

Hong Kong’s Eastern Athletic battled back from two-goals down to rescue a 3-3 draw at home to Kedah of Malaysia.

Khyril Muhymeen Zambri opened the scoring midway through the first half before Sabree Abu added a second on the hour mark for the visitors.

But the hosts sprung into life midway through the second-half as two goals in 10 minutes from Machado and captain Wong Chun Yue dragged them back on level terms.

Zambri’s 85th minute strike looked to have secured the three points for Kedah but Pau Ka Yiu equalised at the death.

“In this game we were determined to win,” said Eastern coach Chan Hiu Ming.

“We had a lot of chances but because of some poor errors we made out situation difficult.

“The players gave a good effort right until the final minute. The result was a little disappointing but I will not blame any of the players.”

Kedah coach Azraai Kor Abdullah was understandably disappointed his side could not hold out for the three points.

“I’m not very happy,” he said. “For me we should have won the game when we were 3-2 up.”

HONG KONG – Eastern Athletic displayed a never-say-die attitude to battle back from two-goals down and secure a 3-3 draw in a Group G game of the AFC Cup against Malaysian side Kedah at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday.

Mohd Khyril Muhymeen Zambri opened the scoring midway through the first half before Mohd Sabree Mat Abu added a second on the hour mark for the visitors.

AFC Cup Group G

But the hosts sprung into life midway through the second-half as two goals in 10 minutes from Machado and captain Wong Chun Yue dragged them back on level terms.

Zambri’s 85th minute strike looked to have secured the three points for Kedah but Pau Ka Yiu equalised at the death.

Chances were at a premium during the opening exchanges with the most notable effort being Badrol Bakhtiar’s 15th minute free-kick that brought a full-stretch save fromYapp Hung Fai.

But it was the small band of travelling fans who were cheering in the 32nd minute when Zambri picked up the ball on the edge of the area before working some space for himself and unleashing a strong drive into the back of the net.

Profligacy was proving the hosts’ undoing as wayward balls from midfield were often finding the goalkeeper or going harmlessly wide.

And they were made to pay for their wastefulness on the hour mark when Badrol’s cross across the face of goal evaded the keeper and a defender to fall kindly for Mat Abu, and the midfielder smashed the ball into the net.

But Eastern gave themselves a lifeline 10 minutes later when the Kedah defence failed to clear Yu Ho Pong’s corner and the unmarked Machado fired home from close range.

That sprung the hosts into life and, after a barrage of attacks they drew level in the 80th minute when Wong dived to head home Lau Nim Yat’s dangerous cross.

Their valiant fightback looked to have been laid to waste five minutes later when Zambri picked up the ball in acres of the space inside the box and though his initial shot was denied by Yapp, he fired home at the second attempt.

But substitute Pau Ka Yiu drilled home from a corner deep in injury time to secure a share of the spoils for the hosts.

Eastern Athletic coach Chan Hiu Ming has labeled Tuesday’s AFC Cup meeting with Malaysia’s Kedah as “the most important game” of the Hong Kong sides Group G campaign.

With Thailand’s Chonburi topping the table with a 100% record, Eastern, Kedah and Vietnam’s Hanoi ACB are all tied on three points at the halfway stage and currently locked in a battle for second place and a place in the knockout stage.

Kedah picked up their first win of the campaign with a 2-0 triumph over Eastern two weeks ago in Malaysia, but back on home soil and with Cameroonian striker Julius Akosah set to be available after recovering from a toe injury, Chan is in an upbeat mood.

“This is the most important game in the first round for us. Ourselves, Kedah and ACB are at the same level, there is not much difference, so this game is very important,” he said.

“The next game will be tough against the team from Thailand (Chonburi) so our last game will be away and we will need get a point from that to qualify. But first we need to win tomorrow (Tuesday).

“We lost to Kedah in the last game but it is totally different playing away, we played too defensively and lacked confidence. We need to play our own style.”

Having lost their first two games, Malaysian treble winners Kedah revived their fortunes with their win in Alor Setar against Eastern.

The northern Malaysian side have bounced back after a slow start to the season which saw them fail to register a win in their first four games of the current Super League campaign.

They have gone on to win seven of their last eight games to put themselves back into contention for a third straight league title.

Coach Azraai Khor Abdullah, the architect of two consecutive domestic trebles for Kedah, was overlooked this week for the post of Malaysia national coach and will be keen to show Football Association of Malaysia officials just what they have missed out on.

In the other Group G game, leaders Chonburi will have a chance to seal their passage into the last 16 if they can maintain their perfect record with a home win against Hanoi ACB.

Last season’s Thai league runners-up have been in sparkling form so far in the AFC Cup with second-half goals by Arthit Sunthornphit and Ekaphan Inthasen lifting them to a 2-0 win in the Vietnamese capital two weeks ago.

Having lost two matches in a row after their opening win against Kedah, Hanoi ACB will be looking to turn the tables on Chonburi and revive their hopes of securing one of the two knockout stage spots up for grabs in Group G.

Kedah recorded their first win in the competition with a 2-0 success against Hong Kong’s Eastern Athletic, a result which keeps them in contention for a place in the knockout phase of the tournament.

“I am not satisfied with their performance as what they played tonight was not our usual game,” said coach Azrai Khor Abdullah.

“There were not much running on the flanks and I felt that the players did not show much urgency in their game. Sure we won our first full points in the competition although at times I was a little worried by the lapses in concentration.”

Meanwhile, Chan Hiu Ming, the team manager for Eastern Athletic, felt that the unpredictable weather conditions on the night played havoc with his team’s hopes of winning the tie.

“The weather is so different when compared to how it is in Hong Kong. We did not expect the weather to be so extreme from one to the other,” said Chan.

“It rained for the entire first half and that affected the team’s rhythm. And in the second half, the rain suddenly stopped but by the time we found the rhythm, it was already a little late.”

AFC Cup 2009

ALOR SETAR – Kedah secured their first points in Group G of the AFC Cup with a 2-0 win over Eastern Athletic of Hong Kong at the Darul Aman Stadium on Tuesday.

Having lost earlier matches to Hanoi ACB of Vietnam and Chonburi FC of Thailand, the Malaysian treble winners put themselves back into contention for the last 16 with goals either side of half-time by Farizal Rozali and Azrul Ahmad.

With the return of several injured regulars, Kedah coach Azraai Khor Abdullah was able to deploy his best players with Saramsak Kram leading the attack alongside Farizal.

However, it was Eastern Athletic that created the first real chance in the fourth minute when Yeung Ching Kwong’s free-kick went narrowly wide.

Azrul got an opportunity for the home side in the 11th minute but Eastern custodian Yap Hung Fai was equal to the task while Farizal saw his header come back off the far post six minutes later.

But the deadlock was finally broken in the 27th minute when Badrol Bakhtiar’s corner was headed home by Farizal.

Rain fell throughout the first half but when it finally tapered off just before the hour mark, the visitors began to assert themselves with Yang Xu firing in a shot from 25 metres out.

But Badrol responded from similar distance a minute later and the home side grabbed a crucial second in the 77th minute when a cross from the right by Farizal picked out Azrul, who slammed the ball home from close range to send the partisan home crowd into raptures.

Kedah custodian Helmi Eliza Elias made a fine save following a Yeung Ching Kwong corner two minutes later but the Malaysian side were reasonably comfortable in the closing stages as they held on for all three points.

Malaysian treble winner Kedah are boosted by the return of striker Saramsak Kram for their meeting with Hong Kong’s Eastern Athletic.

Kedah are seeking a first win of the campaign and head coach Mohd Azrai Khor Abdullah will have an out-and-out striker in Saramsak available for the first time after he recovered from an ankle injury.

“For the first time in this competition we are playing without any injuries and that gives us a lot of confidence,” said Azrai.

“I believe that in the first two matches, apart from being handicapped with having to play without foreign players, the number of injured players in the squad was incredible.”

Eastern Athletic manager Chan Hiu-ming is looking for his side to pick up where they left off last time out after beating Vietnam’s Hanoi 3-0.

“It was a good result in our second match but we need to pick up from there and obviously this means that we have to beat Kedah at home,” he said

“We are comfortable with the way the team is developing but we expect more from the frontline considering that in our last match, both goals that we scored came from midfielders.

“But our aim is obvious and that we are here to win all three points.”

AFC Cup 2009

ALOR STAR: Thailand’s Chonburi FC made it two wins out of two in Group G of the AFC Cup when they overcame Malaysian treble winners Kedah 1-0 at the Darulaman Stadium.

Mohamed Kone scored the only goal of the game just after the half-hour mark as the Thai Premier League leaders followed up last week’s 4-1 win over Eastern Athletic with another triumph.

Kedah started the stronger of the two sides and Badrol Bakhtiar fired narrowly wide with a low strike before Kone blasted an effort from the edge of the box the wrong side of the right post.

Khyril Muhymeen Zambri’s cross from the right presented Badrol with a chance but his touch let him down, while Chonburi skipper Anderson Freitas saw an attempt blocked by Kedah captain Victor Andrag.

The Thais had begun to take control of the game and in the 31st minute, they duly took the lead.

Kone latched onto a long ball and outstripped the Kedah defence before firing a shot past keeper Helmi Eliza Elias.

The last chance of the half fell to Freitas but this time Helmi was equal to his effort.

Badrol almost pulled Kedah level early in the second period but while his effort beat Kosin, Thailand defender Surat Sukha was on hand to clear the danger.

Both teams created several opportunities that neither could capitalise on before Kedah came agonisingly close to an equaliser after 77 minutes when winger V. Thirumurugan’s lob came back off the crossbar.

However, Chonburi held out to maintain their impressive start in this season’s AFC Cup.