Kuching City FC 2-0 Gangwon FC: Safawi's early double and a lead that held

Kuching City FC beat Gangwon FC 2-0 at Stadium Taha Ariffin on 5 November, a week after losing to the same side in Korea.

The AFC’s match report says the win revived the club’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Two. It was the first win of the campaign for Kuching City FC, whose first three group matches brought a defeat, a draw and another defeat.

How the game went

Safawi Rasid, starting in midfield, settled it inside the first 20 minutes. He scored in the 13th minute. He scored again in the 20th minute, from Ramadhan Saifullah’s assist. Makan Bola put the gap between the two goals at seven minutes.

That was the end of the scoring. Gangwon FC began changing their side at the start of the second half, in the 46th minute. None of it changed the score. Kuching City FC took Safawi off in the 77th minute, with Wenzel-Halls coming on.

Why the lead held

Start with the obvious reading: that Gangwon FC were the side on top and simply could not finish. The corner count points that way. Gangwon FC won 10 corners to Kuching City FC’s 2. Kuching City FC had 51% possession, compared with Gangwon FC’s 49%. Yet for all those set pieces, the visitors did not score.

The real reasons are two, and the first matters most.

First, Kuching City FC made their few chances count, and made them count early. Kuching City FC had 2 shots on target, compared with 1 for Gangwon FC. With two goals in the bank before the half-hour, they did not need more. Gangwon FC spent the whole second half two goals down, and never found a way back.

Second, few Gangwon FC attempts got through. Gangwon FC had 4 shots blocked, compared with 1 for Kuching City FC. Haziq Nadzli, in goal for Kuching City FC, kept a clean sheet. All those corners and the half-time changes added up to no goals at all.

Is that luck? Not on this evidence. A lead built in the first 20 minutes and then defended for the rest of the match is a result earned, not handed over.

What it means

The two sides have now met twice in eight days. Gangwon FC won the first meeting 1-0 at home on 29 October, Choe Byeong-chan scoring in the 28th minute. Kuching City FC won the second 2-0.

Where that leaves Group H is a closer question. Makan Bola reported that after the win Kuching City FC sat one point behind Kitchee, while Gangwon FC dropped to fourth on four points. Kitchee also won on the same night, beating Phnom Penh Crown 2-1, according to the AFC. The group is not settled, and this result alone does not decide any place in it.

Kuching City FC have two group matches left. They host Phnom Penh Crown at Taha Ariffin Stadium on 26 November, kicking off at 6pm. Then they travel to Kitchee at Mong Kok Stadium on 3 December, kicking off at 8.15pm. The first meeting with Phnom Penh Crown, on 17 September, ended in a 2-1 defeat.

StraitScore’s view: this was the most complete performance of the campaign by Kuching City FC, because it was built on two early goals and a clean sheet against a side that had beaten them a week earlier. It settles nothing in the group. It does make the last two matches worth playing for.