Leo Gaucho scored twice as Borneo FC Samarinda starting the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ with a 3-0 victory over Lion City Sailors FC while Công An Hà Nội FC defeated Buriram United FC and Kuala Lumpur City FC edged Kaya FC-Iloilo in Thursday’s opening round of Group B matches.Alan Grafite scored with a second half header to earn Công An Hà Nội a 2-1 victory over the Thai League 1 champions and Haqimi Azim’s 12th minute strike secured Kuala Lumpur City their 1-0 win against the side from the Philippines.“Today in our team everyone helped each other, everyone did what the coach wanted and because of this the start of the game was so good,” Gaucho said, after his double at Batakan Stadium against the Singapore club.“Everyone was pushing themselves, everyone helping each other, and it was good. We played a good game.”The Brazilian put Pieter Huistra’s Borneo in front in the third minute, slipping past the Lion City Sailors defence to gleefully sweep a corner from Stefano Lilipaly past Izwan Mahbud in the visitors’ goal.The hosts were to double their lead 17 minutes later when a pair of Lion City Sailors errors gifted Borneo a second, Rui Pires’ miss-hit clearance landing at the feet of Berguinho and his low shot squirmed under Izwan’s body.Pires’ red card early in the second half left Lion City Sailors shorthanded and Gaucho put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute when he scooped a clever finish over an advanced Izwan to net Borneo’s third.At a rain-lashed Hang Day Stadium, Công An Hà Nội took the lead with three minutes on the clock as Phan Van Duc struck from distance, his right foot shot beating Buriram United goalkeeper Siwaruck Tedsungnoen to his left.The visitors levelled four minutes after the interval, Philippines international defender Jefferson Tabinas rising unmarked to head Supachai Jaided’s cross from the right past the unprotected Filip Nguyen.However, Grafite secured the points for Công An Hà Nội lead midway through the second half when he rose above Marcelo Djalo to nod in Vitao’s lofted cross from the right.Kuala Lumpur City, meanwhile, took all three points in front of their own fans with Haqimi converting from a tight angle 12 minutes into the action after captain Paulo Josue found the Malaysia international striker unmarked at the far post.“It was a good result, it was very important for us to get three points,” said Kuala Lumpur City coach Miroslav Kuljanac.“I think we can score more goals but today our attack was not so good. We had so many chances. I hoped they would score one more goal so I can watch the game in peace, but my players kept me nervous the whole time.”The second round of group matches in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ will be played on September 25th and 26th.Winners of today’s Shopee Star of the Match:Kei Hirose, Borneo FC SamarindaAlan Grafite, Công An Hà Nội FCKenny Pallraj, Kuala Lumpur City FCFor more information about the Shopee Cup™, please visit https://aseanutdfc.com/ and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X. #AFF
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