Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Hong Kong: Hong Kong's Citizen scored twice in stoppage time through Chiu Chun Kit and Sham Kwok Fai to deny Thailand's Chonburi a place in the last 16 of the AFC Cup as Wednesday's Group G encounter ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw at Mong Kok Stadium.
Chonburi appeared to have posted a third win of the campaign which would have secured qualification from Group G with two games remaining after goals from Natthaphong Samana and second-half substitutes Pipob On-mo and Sukree Etae had cancelled out Yuto Nakamura's eighth-minute opener for Citizen.
But after Chiu headed home in the first minute of added time, Sham bundled home a corner with the last kick of the game to leave table-topping Chonburi a point clear of Singapore's Home United, with third-placed Citizen a further three points off the pace.
"It was a great effort from the players. We concentrated on defending in the first half because Chonburi are very strong. In the second half we focused on attacking, but they took advantage of our mistakes and took a 3-1 lead. But we never gave up and it was a great effort," said Citizen coach Chu Kwok Kuen.
"We scored in added time and at that moment we were not thinking about a draw or winning, we just wanted to make the score more respectable. It is an extra bonus that we can get a tie. A 3-2 defeat is not a bad defeat, but a 3-3 draw is an extra bonus for us."
Chonburi took the game to Citizen from the first whistle, but after eight minutes the home side took the lead against the run of play as the visiting defence were caught square just inside their own half and Nakamura raced clear before coolly lifting the ball over exposed goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool from just inside the area.
The lead, though, lasted just 12 minutes as Chonburi were rewarded for their early dominance. Natthaphong ghosted in at the back post to hook a low cross from French midfielder Geoffrey Doumeng back across the face of goal and into the net with goalkeeper Tse Tak Him rooted to the spot.
Chonburi continued to dominate but lacked a cutting edge up front, while Citizen posed a constant counterattacking threat and came close to regaining the lead after 32 minutes as Sham Kwok Keung shot narrowly wide following a patient build-up from the home side.
Citizen goalkeeper Tse almost handed Chonburi the lead two minutes before the break after failing to hold a rasping drive from Cote d'Ivoire defender Fode Diakite, but the custodian made amends with a smart reflex save to deny Ludovick Kengne as the Cameroonian striker pounced on the loose ball inside the six-yard area.
Opposing captains Therdsak Chaiman and Festus Baise both came close to a breakthrough in a cagey start to the second half with both sides struggling for quality possession.
But with 21 minutes remaining Chonburi completed the turnaround as Pipob's towering header from Therdsak's inviting right wing delivery gave Tse no chance.
And with two minutes remaining, Sukree found space on the right side of the Citizen penalty area with the home side pushing forward and squeezed his low shot between Tse and the upright.
Chiu's glancing header in the first minute of stoppage-time appeared to have handed Citizen a late consolation but the home side completed the comeback in dramatic fashion as Sham turned home Wong Yiu Fu's corner following a melee inside the Chonburi six-yard area.
"I am not satisfied with the performance of the defenders. We always have the same problem in away games. This match was the opportunity to overcome this problem, but we failed. We have the same problem with away games in the local league," said Chonburi coach Withaya Laohakul.
"I have a lot of respect for Citizen's spirit. Even though they were 3-1 down, they came back. They were focused, concentrated and determined and fought very bravely to come back.
"We still are aiming for first place in the group. A win in this match would have made it comfortable for us, but we now still have to fight."