Kuching City FC beaten on their AFC Champions League Two debut

Kuching City FC began their first continental campaign with a defeat, beaten 2-1 away to Phnom Penh Crown on 17 September in the opening round of the AFC Champions League Two.

A first night in the competition

It was the club’s first match in the tournament and the first meeting between the two sides. Kick-off in Phnom Penh was at 20:15 Malaysian time, and Kuching City FC came home with nothing.

The margin is the thing to hold on to. A single goal away from home, in a group settled over several rounds, is the sort of night a side can absorb, provided the home fixtures land.

The league form they took with them

Kuching City FC had travelled on the back of a 2-1 win at Melaka FC, their fourth in five Malaysia Super League matches. They sit second in the table with 12 points, three behind the leaders, with 15 goals scored and four conceded.

Their only league defeat so far came in the opening round at Johor Darul Ta’zim, 3-0. Nothing since has resembled it: Kuala Lumpur City were beaten 6-0 and Kelantan Red Warrior FC 5-0 within a week of each other.

What comes next

Kitchee visit on 15 October, and the return with Phnom Penh Crown follows in November. Two of the group matches are against the side that has just beaten them, which is the clearest route back into it.

For a club playing at this level for the first time, the domestic table is the reassurance: second place, four wins in five, and a defence that has conceded four in the league. The trip to Cambodia says the standard here is a different one.