A jubilant Svay Rieng celebrate their advance to the semi-finals, despite a 2-1 away loss to Shan United in Myanmar on March 13. Svay Rieng FC
Svay Rieng FC appeared to take their foot off the gas in the second away leg of their AFC Challenge League qualifier against Myanmar national champion side Shan United FC. The aggregate result was rarely in doubt, thanks to a 6-2 home victory in the first leg of the competition.
Despite a poor start to the match, the reigning Cambodian Premier League champions established themselves in the later stages of the game, but were unable to convert the opportunities that followed a raft of changes by coach Pep Munoz, eventually going down 2-1 to the local team.
Regardless of the one goal loss, the club have made history by qualifying for the semifinals of the AFC Challenge League 2024-2025 for the first time.
They will face Indonesia’s Madura United in the next round.
Ahead of last night’s March 13 match, played at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, coach Munoz made several changes to the starting lineup.
A second leg 2-1 loss to Shan United FC in the AFC Challenge League qualifier was not enough to stop the CPL champions from moving into the semifinals. Svay Rieng FC
Notably, key players Gabriel Silva and Cristian Roque were not included in the starting XI, and regular captain – defender Soeuy Visal – was replaced by Hikaru Mizuno.
The changes seemed to unsettle the side, as Shan scored two goals within the first 26 minutes, narrowing the aggregate score from 6-2 to 6-4.
A rapid score by Khun Kyan Zin Hein in the first minute and Ye Yint Aung in the 26th gave Shan the boost they needed to believe they were still in the game.
This forced Munoz to make changes in the 30th minute, substituting Hikaru Mizuno and Kim Sokyuth with Visal and Roque. Gabriel Silva also replaced Nick Taylor shortly after the second half began.
The substitutions appeared to improve their performance, and the team managed to capitalise on a foul by Shan United, with Bounphachan Bounkong being brought down in the penalty box. Matheus Moresche did not miss, bringing the score to 2-1in the 56th minute.
Svay Rieng had a few more chances but couldn't convert them. Nonetheless, the 7-4 aggregate victory has sent them to the semifinals and also brought a $120,000 windfall to the club.
They will now face Madura United in two matches.
The first leg will take place in Cambodia on April 10, with the second scheduled for April 17 in Indonesia. The winner will advance to the final, where they will face either Al-Arabi from Kuwait or Arkadag from Turkmenistan.
Munoz had already anticipated this challenge when Svay Rieng won 6-2 against Shan at the National Olympic Stadium on March 6.
“If we want to make it to the final, we have to make our performances stronger,” he said, after last night’s match.
The experienced Spaniard believed the lessons learned from both legs would help him strengthen the team as they prepare to take on the Indonesian side in April.
