Abahani Limited played out a draw in their second consecutive AFC President’s Cup qualifier as they were held to a 1-1 draw by defending champions Taiwan Power
Company at the Dashrath Stadium on Thursday.
Courtesy of the draw, Abahani now stood a good chance of going through to the final round as they have earned two points from their two matches and they will face Erchim FC in their final match on Saturday.
Meanwhile in the second game of the day at the same venue, hosts Three Star Club outclassed Erchim FC of Mongolia by 2-0 to move to the top of Group A with four points from two matches.
A win over Erchim FC will see Abahani qualify while a draw will also be enough for the Sky Blue outfit provided Three Star Club prevails over Taiwan Power Company in their last match.
Abahani went ahead in the fifth minute when Power Company goalkeeper Lu Ming made a blunder in front of the goal-post as the ball spilled from his gloves and Shakhawat
Hossain Rony dispatched the ball into the back of the net.
However, Power Company soon leveled the scoreline seven minutes after conceding when Hung Kai-Chun finished a tough chance assisted by Hi Ming.
Abahani created another opportunity after the break. In a composed run of play, Rony moved the ball with ease and crossed for teammate Awudu Ibrahim who lost his footing while shooting the ball and missed a great chance in the process.
Abahani’s Iranian coach Ardeshir Pournemat was discontented with the result although the opponents played better than his side.
‘Draw was not an expected result for us because we were targeting a win but (Taiwan) Power Company played better football. They kept the ball in possession most of the times and put us under pressure,’ said Pournemat after the match.
‘We played too much defensive football and it was difficult for us to defend,’ he said.
‘We have a much easier match against Erchim FC so today [Thursday] we played the game with precaution and we are hopeful of making it into the
final round,’ added Pournemat.
RESULT
Abahani Ltd 1 (Shakhawat Rony 5) v Taiwan Power Company 1 (Hung Kai Chun 14)
-With New Age input
