On Feb. 23, Patrick Ronaldinho Wleh made his official debut in Asia’s second-tier club competition, the Asia Football Confederation Cup, as Selangor drew 2-2 away at Filipino club Ceres FC.
Having signed with Selangor in January, Wleh established himself as a star striker by netting five times in his first seven matches. However, he failed to extend his goal scoring form on the international stage, as his club failed to win.
The home side took an 18th-minute lead when Stephan Schrock blasted a shot from outside the penalty box. Selangor keeper Norazlan Bin Razali could not prevent the ball from entering the net.
Ceres’ advantage would not last long, as the Argentine striker Mauro Olivi pressured Ceres’ keeper, Mike Casas, resulting in an error and the equalizer for Selangor in the 34th minute.
Selangor gained the upper hand in the 60th minute, courtesy of a Hafiz Kamal free kick that beat Ceres goalkeeper to put pressure on the home side.
With three minutes left for the sound of the final whistle, Spanish striker Andrian Gallardo pulled out a miraculous equalizer from a Stephan Schrock assist in leveling the score.
Despite Selangor’s failure to secure all three points, Wleh told The Bush Chicken he was confident that his side would qualify from the group stage.
“We played well, and we did our best,†he said. “It’s a game of football, and you just can’t stop certain things. We came from a goal down and took the lead. We were just unfortunate not to get a win.â€
“It’s not a disappointment for the team. We got a point, and we will work harder to get victories in our upcoming fixtures. This is just the first match, and there’s still a chance of qualification,†Wleh added.
He said he was not bothered by not scoring.
“I didn’t score, and I’m not bothered. Yes, I’m a striker, and my job is to score. Unfortunately, a goal didn’t come today, at least, the team got a point. That is the most important thing. I would have loved to score an AFC Cup goal, but I was unfortunate. There are still games ahead. All I need to do is to work harder and start scoring again,” Wleh concluded.
The result means Ceres and Selangor both earned a point each and are seated behind Singapore’s Tampines Rovers, who whipped Bangladesh’s Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi, 4-0 in Group E.
Up next for Selangor is a meeting with Pahang FA on Feb. 27, at the Darul Makmur Stadium in round three of the 2016 Malaysia super league.
Featured photo courtesy of Patrick Wleh
