Malaysia Super League Club, FELDA United were denied the opportunity of winning their first three points in the 2017 Asian Confederation Cup on March 7 in Selangor, Malaysia when Vietnamese club Ha Noi scored late in the stoppage time of the match to share the points.
The result might have left FELDA frustrated after the sound of the final whistle, but their Liberian international midfielder, Zah Raham Krangar, had an unforgettable birthday after scoring a stunner that gave FELDA an early lead.
Krangar, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, scored from 40 meters to give FELDA the lead 23 minutes into the first half.
Having lost their first game of the competition, FELDA desperately needed a win to put their Asian campaign on track. Fresh from winning their last league match against Sarawak, Ha Noi began the game on a high tempo with early ball possession. On a soaked pitch, they demonstrated skillful ball passing, preventing FELDA from having a share of the play despite its home field advantage.
Despite dominating the start of the match, Ha Noi had themselves to blame for missing their chances when Krangar fired from 40 yards to put them ahead. The veteran midfielder collected Wan Amirul Afiq’s long ball that got stuck in the water on the pitch and shot behind He Noi’s goalkeeper, Phi Minh Long, who came out late to clear the ball from his danger zone.
The visitors went on to dominate the match but failed to score as FELDA went to the break with a one-goal lead. FELDA held onto their narrow lead until the 90th minute, and it looked they had taken all three points with just three minutes added time to play.
Vietnamese midfielder Hung Dung Do scored in the first minute and went on to level the score which killed FELDA’s hopes of winning. The 23-year old beautifully struck within FELDA’s penalty area and saw his ball hitting the woodwork before dropping behind the line.
The result leaves FELDA at the bottom of Group G with a point from two games.
Featured photo courtesy of FELDA United
