AFC Champions League Two
Alhaft and Muhsen Al Ghassani gave Bangkok the lead before Chrigor reduced the deficit in the 23rd minute, only for Bangkok to restore their two-goal advantage through Alhaft’s second. Aliff Izwan pulled another one back for Selangor but Philipe Maia netted in the 84th minute to calm Bangkok's nerves and seal the points.
#ACLTwo | Group G: Selangor FC (MAS) 2-4 Bangkok United (THA)
“I’m very happy – this is a new stage for me to perform and I was really excited to show myself. Of course, I’m delighted with my two goals, but more importantly, we played well and followed a good tactical plan,” said Alhaft.
“Winning the three points matters most; if I had scored twice but we didn’t win, it would feel very different. So I’m happy with both the goals and the victory in the group.”
The Dutch forward underlined the importance of Bangkok United’s response after Chrigor had pulled Selangor - who were reduced to 10 men in the 39th minute following Harith Haiqal’s red card - back into the contest.
“They also had some chances after the red card, and the game was still open. The timing of our goals was crucial – when they made it 2-1, we immediately responded to go 3-1 up, and that gave us big motivation to push on. In the second half, they showed their desire to win but in the end we scored again to seal it. Overall, I’m really happy with this result.”
Head coach Totchtawan Sripan praised his side’s discipline in securing the three points away from home.
"Selangor are a strong team and difficult opponents to play against. They have developed significantly over the years and we knew it would be difficult for us,” said Totchtawan. “But we came prepared and had a tactical plan as they were very motivated and showed fighting spirit.”
Selangor were left to rue costly lapses with head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi stressing the need for improvement.
“It was a very tough match, but in many ways, we made it tough for ourselves because of small mistakes. These mistakes hurt us, and we must focus on correcting the tactical errors,” said Kinoshi.
“I take responsibility for the technical mistakes as well. In football, just like in life, there has to be a flow – when we are attacking and when the opponent is attacking, we must know exactly what to do. Communication also needs to improve, but that cannot be an excuse.
“We need to rotate players. I started with players who didn’t play the full 90 minutes in our previous match, so they should have been fresh. For the next game, I may not be able to do that, and it will be tough deciding who will start and how we make changes.”
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Group G: Selangor FC (MAS) 2-4 Bangkok United (THA)
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