BG Tampines Rovers marched into the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Champions League Two after a 3-1 home win on Wednesday (Feb 18) sealed an unlikely 6-1 aggregate victory over Vietnamese outfit Cong An Ha Noi.
The Stags had originally slumped to a 4-0 defeat in the first leg at Hang Day Stadium last Wednesday, but Cong An’s advantage was wiped out when the result was annulled for fielding suspended duo Stefan Mauk and Rogerio Santos, both ineligible after accumulating three group-stage bookings.
After the Asian Football Confederation awarded Tampines a 3-0 win for the first leg, the Singapore side followed up with an impressive 3-1 result to secure their place in the last eight, where they will face either Thailand’s Bangkok United or Australia’s Macarthur FC over two legs on March 5 and 12.
On AFC’s decision, Tampines interim coach Robert Eziakor said, “We needed to improve from the past games. It’s not good for our side to concede those goals. We were not focused on what happened to them.”
“It was a very intense match, but the boys stuck to the plan… we needed to keep it tight and make it difficult for them, and that’s what we did today… We made it count when it mattered most.”
“We learnt from our mistakes, and we got it right this time around, so the outcome was totally different. Playing at home helped us a lot as well,” Eziakor added.
Man of the match Hide Higashikawa, whose brace powered his side to victory, counted his blessings when he and his teammates learned of the Asian Football Confederation ruling.
Describing his opponents as a “tough” side to face, Higashikawa admitted the stroke of luck proved decisive, giving Tampines a lifeline they were determined not to waste.
Higashikawa opened the scoring when he released Shah Shahiran with a slick backheel in the 36th minute before the midfielder squared for the Japanese to nod past the sprawling Nguyen Filip.
Celebrations were initially cut short by the offside flag, but the call was overturned, allowing the Stags to carry the lead into the interval.
Just 10 minutes after the restart, any hopes of a Cong An comeback were dashed when Brazilian winger Leo Artur was given his marching orders following an on-field review for an elbow to Yuki Kobayashi’s face.
The video assistant referee (VAR) ruled against Cong An once more, as substitute Nguyen Dinh Bac’s was chalked off just three minutes later.
Higashikawa doubled his tally on the hour mark, producing some nifty footwork to slip past two defenders before rifling his effort past Filip for his sixth goal of the competition.
An Alan Grafite penalty in the 77th minute looked to hand Cong An a consolation before Trent Buhagiar restored the two-goal cushion two minutes later.
Cong An head coach Alexandre Polking conceded that it was”game over” when his side was reduced to ten men, but insisted that they had attempted to overcome the four-goal deficit with an offensive change after the break, through the likes of midfielder Le Van Do.
“They tried really hard till the end. We knew it would be difficult. Of course, we were hoping to come back. But the 3-0 result (that was awarded) before the match, completely changed everything.”
The win sealed a perfect home record in the competition for the Stags, with Eziakor singling out 16-year-old goalkeeper Kasey Rogers for praise after he stepped in for captain Syazwan Buhari, who suffered a head injury in their previous league outing against Albirex Niigata.
“Fantastic. I think he’s a good boost for the young lads. This is what football is all about. He came in and took his chance very well. We are so proud of him.”
