KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Kuala Lumpur City kicked off their debut in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ with a 1-0 victory over Filipino champions Kaya FC-Iloilo in their Group B opener on Thursday, August 22.
The match began with a flurry of activity from the hosts, as Ryan Lambert and Paulo Josue both threatened the Kaya FC goal within the opening 10 minutes.
Kaya responded through Akito Saito, who headed just wide of the target, but it was Kuala Lumpur City who broke the deadlock shortly after.
In the 12th minute, Josue found himself with space on the left wing. He delivered a low cross into the box that was met by Haqimi Azim, who managed to score despite a valiant effort from Kaya goalkeeper Patrick Deyto to keep the ball out.
Deyto was kept busy throughout the first half, making crucial saves to deny both Brendan Gan and Josue, but his efforts could not prevent Kuala Lumpur City from taking the lead.
Kaya FC had their best opportunity of the first half just before the break, when Marwin Angeles forced a sharp save from Kuala Lumpur City’s keeper, Azri Ghani, who dived low to his right to deny the Filipino midfielder.
The second half saw Kuala Lumpur City maintain their aggressive approach.
Haqimi nearly doubled his tally in the 53rd minute, only to be denied by another strong save from Deyto.
Gan and Josue continued to press, but Deyto’s outstanding performance kept the deficit to just one goal.
As the match neared its conclusion, Kaya FC had to contend with a VAR review after vice-captain Fitch Arboleda collided with an opponent, raising concerns of a possible red card.
However, after review, Arboleda was issued a yellow card, allowing him to stay on the pitch.
Kuala Lumpur City thought they had sealed the victory in the final minutes with two more attempts, but both were ruled offside, leaving the scoreline at 1-0.
Kuala Lumpur City will next face Borneo FC Samarinda at home on September 26, while Kaya FC will travel to Thailand to take on Buriram United on the same night.
