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A first-half brace from Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin inspired S.League leaders Tampines Rovers to a 3-1 victory over Vietnamese side Hanoi T&T in their AFC Cup Group G clash at Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday.
Despite the visitors pulling one back through Argentinean striker Gonzalo Marronkle, Stags skipper Aleksandar Duric put the result beyond doubt with a tap-in with 20 minutes to go.
The win ensured the sole Singapore representatives in Asian competition pulled away from their opponents to stay second in the standings behind group pacesetters Muang Thong United of Thailand, who remained on top after winning 4-0 against Maldives side Victory SC in Male.
With the first game in Hanoi between the teams ending in a 1-1 stalemate, both came into this match knowing that a positive result was crucial for either side to increase their chances of earning their place in the octofinals.
The home side made only one change from the eleven that won two successive league games after their Hanoi assignment. South Korean defender Park Yo Seb was benched after he reported ill on the morning of the match.
Japanese centreback Seiji Kaneko recovered from a thigh strain sustained in the previous group fixture to take his place in the back three alongside French sweeper Benoit Croissant and Jufri Taha.
The Stags dominated proceedings and earned a quick succession of corners from the start, and T&T goalkeeper Duong Hong Son and skipper Cristiano Roland were busy keeping the yellow shirts at bay with last-ditch stops in the box.
But there was nothing the 2010 V-League champions could do to prevent former Singapore international Latiff from sweeping a Shahdan Sulaiman corner low into the bottom corner of the net and give Tampines the lead on 12 minutes.
The veteran attacking midfielder doubled his side’s advantage ten minutes later, after a half-clearance from the white shirts only reached as far as him outside the box.
From 30 yards on the right, he produced an outrageous lob that sailed into the top corner and gave the stranded Duong no chance to react.
T&T pulled one back six minutes after the restart when a cross on the right from Nguyen Van Quyet found an unmarked Marronkle at the far post. The striker had the time and space to coolly slot the ball past Hassan Sunny to reduce the deficit.
With the visitors threatening to run riot after scoring, Latiff’s involvement in the game ended after 35 minutes when he made way for Shukor Zailan in the middle of the park.
Tampines could have restored their advantage, but found the Vietnam international goalkeeper in inspired form as his saves kept T&T in contention.
Shukor came agonisingly close to restoring the hosts’ two-goal cushion when he saw his attempt off an Ismadi Mukhtar lay-up beat the custodian but not the crossbar.
As the visitors poured men forward in search for the equaliser, gaps were opened up in their defence and allowed the two-time domestic league winners to threaten on the counter.
It was virtually game over for the crumbling Vietnamese side on 70 minutes when Imran Sahib supplied a cross on the right for Duric to tap home at the near post for his fourth AFC Cup goal in as many games this campaign.
Boosted by the goal, Tampines threatened to increase the scoreline on several occasions as the minutes ticked away, and only the combination of profligate finishing and strong goalkeeper work ensured the match ended 3-1 in favour of the hosts at the final whistle.
Stags head coach Steven Tan was very pleased with his side’s strong showing and desire to keep them in contention for a place in the next round.
“The guys played an almost perfect game tonight and could have scored more,” he said at the post-game press conference.
“I am happy to see the boys put in the commitment as I demand of them for the full 90 minutes.”
With a good chance of their continental journey extended beyond the group stage against Victory at home next Tuesday, the former Singapore winger cautioned against his side getting carried away with the win.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground and hope to qualify after next week with a game to spare in Bangkok,” he continued.
“Hopefully by the time we travel there, we will not have the pressure and can play the game we want to secure home advantage in the next round.”
As for Latiff’s early exit in the game, Tan remained unperturbed as the player set the stage for victory before coming off.
“He suffered from some gastric problem – but only after scoring two goals!” he quipped to huge roars of laughter.
“He gave us what we wanted out of him, so there is no problem for me to take him off early since he is not feeling well.”
He also admitted the pitch played a role in his side earning three points at their opponents’ expense.
“Hanoi had a major problem with the pitch even though they were given training slots to adapt to the ground,” he noted.
“I could understand their passes going astray and straight to another shirt, as the surface is very greasy which affects the speed and weight of their passing.”
This observation was shared by his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Thanh Dung as he attempted to explain his side’s capitulation in Singapore.
“We are not used to playing on artificial turf and do not have the time to train on such surfaces back home as there aren’t enough in Vietnam,” said the T&T head coach.
“We virtually lost the game when we allowed two goals early on. Tampines played much better here than they did in Hanoi.”
Another three points against group whipping boys Victory on Tuesday at the same ground will confirm the Stags’ place in the round of 16 with a game to spare in the group.
Tampines Rovers: Hassan Sunny; Seiji Kaneko, Benoit Croissant, Jufri Taha; Imran Sahib, Akihiro Nakamura, Shahdan Sulaiman (Zahid Ahmad 88’), Ismadi Mukhtar; Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin (Shukor Zailan 35’), Aleksandar Duric, Aliff Shafaein (Jamil Ali 65’).
Hanoi T&T: Duong Hong Son; Nguyen Quoc Long, Nguyen Tien Dung, Cristiano Roland, Nguyen Van Bien; Nguyen Van Quyet, Vo Duy Nam, Nguyen Ngoc Duy (Thach Bao Khanh 81’), Cao Sy Cuong (Le Hong Minh 66’); Le Cong Vinh (Matias Recio 66’), Gonzalo Marronkle.
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