Tampines Rovers deliver early knockout punch to beat Pohang Steelers in AFC Champions League Two

SINGAPORE – Sixteen seconds, 11 touches, one shot, one kill.

Most of the 900-odd fans at the Bishan Stadium had barely warmed their seats – while others were still streaming in – when BG Tampines Rovers took a stunning lead from the opening passage of play against South Korea’s Pohang Steelers in their AFC Champions League Two match on Oct 23.

That lone goal by striker Hide Higashikawa was enough for a 1-0 victory, which put the Singapore Premier League (SPL) side on the brink of their first appearance in the knockout stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) second-tier club competition since 2016.

With a perfect three wins, the Stags are top of Group H with a maximum nine points, while Pohang remain second with six points. Thailand’s BG Pathum United are third with three points after a 2-0 win over Philippine side Kaya FC-Iloilo, who have lost all three games.

With the top two teams from each of the eight groups advancing to the round of 16, the Singaporean side will be through if they win any of their remaining three fixtures, starting with an away game at Pohang on Nov 6. A draw would also suffice if the other result goes their way.

Following their superb start, Tampines coach Noh Rahman, who was still a player with the club when they reached the 2016 AFC Cup quarter-finals, said: “I told the boys that we need to trust in our abilities and our football.

“We need to think of ourselves as one of the big teams like BG Pathum and Pohang. If we want to be one of the big teams, then these are the games where we need to show our strengths and abilities as a team.

“Hopefully by doing that, we can achieve our objective of progressing from the group stage and then we try to build on from there.”

Against Pohang, it appeared to be a routine kick-off for Tampines when Joel Chew passed the ball back from the centre spot to midfielder Shah Shahiran, who took three touches before relaying it to centre-back Shuya Yamashita.

The Japanese played it out wide to left-back Takeshi Yoshimoto, who took another three touches before launching the ball towards compatriot Higashikawa.

Cutting inside Pohang centre-back Jonathan Aspropotamitis with his left foot, Higashikawa brilliantly outmuscled the Australian before bending a right-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Yoon Pyung-guk.

For a team who conceded three equalisers, including a 108th-minute penalty, in their 3-3 SPL draw against Balestier Khalsa just four days prior, Tampines then produced an accomplished and assured performance, defending resolutely to protect their lead against three-time Asian champions Pohang, who are fourth in the K League 1 and regarded as the superior team.

As much as it was a classic smash-and-grab, they were compact in defence and managed to stretch their opponents when they attacked.

Higashikawa was a thorn for the Pohang back three with his pace and physicality which led to yellow cards for Lee Dong-hee and Aspropotamitis.

Behind him in Tampines’ 4-2-3-1 formation, attacking midfielders Trent Buhagiar, Glenn Kweh and Chew were confident on the ball while Seiga Sumi and Shah battled in the middle of the park.

Amirul Adli was reliable at right-back, while Yoshimoto provided more of an attacking outlet on the left with his frequent forays up the pitch. Meanwhile, centre-back Dylan Fox cleared off the line to deny An Jae-jun in the 30th minute before Yamashita celebrated a vital block against Cho Sang-hyeok. Stags goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari was unflappable.

In the final stretch, Tampines did not panic or give away free kicks in dangerous positions. Higashikawa could have even doubled their tally in the 78th minute, had he placed his shot away from Yoon after good work from Buhagiar and Yoshimoto on the left.

The Pohang custodian then did well to save from Buhagiar in the 90th minute and then Faris Ramli in added time, but the knockout punch had long been delivered.

Noh added: “Against this kind of opposition, there will be periods where we were going to suffer, and we need to suffer together, enjoy and embrace that. Credit to the boys, not just the goalscorer and defenders, but everyone and even the players who came on did their part.”

Higashikawa, who has scored in his last four games, echoed the emphasis on team performance and said: “Scoring is my job and I want to contribute to the team, but I don’t think I could have scored with just my own ability. We had to work hard as a team.”

For Pohang, it was a result to forget after failing to go home with even a point despite racking up 20 shots and 78 per cent possession.

Pohang coach Park Tae-ha said: “Tampines have good, fast players but it was more of us making more mistakes than them playing better. We expected them to drop deep, but we fought to create chances. We rushed to do so and gave up some chances for them.

“But this match is over. We want to progress to the next stage and we will analyse how we can be better for the next game.”

In Group G, last season’s finalists Lion City Sailors lost 1-0 at Bangkok United through a 63rd-minute penalty by Muhsen Al-Ghassani after the Singaporean side’s skipper Hariss Harun was sent off for a foul on Ilias Alhaft.

Following the defeat, the Sailors slipped from first to third with four points from three games as Bangkok rose to second with six points. Indonesia’s Persib moved top with seven points after a 2-0 win over Malaysia’s Selangor, who are without a point.