Sharpshooter: Akhyar Rashid (front) celebrating with teammates after scoring against Vietnamese club Thanh Hoa. — Terengganu FC
PETALING JAYA: Winger Akhyar Rashid dazzled the crowd with his man-of-the match performance. But the Terengganu player would have preferred three points in the match against Vietnamese club Thanh Hoa.
Instead, the Turtles continued their winless run in the AFF Club Championships, settling for a 2-2 draw in their Group A game at the Sultan Mizan Stadium on Wednesday.
Akhyar, however, got the man-of-the-match award but he was far from happy.
“It is nice to be man-of the match but I wish the result was different,” he said.
“I am disappointed because we were leading 2-0 and then conceded two. We have to bounce back in the next game.”
The 25-year-old Akhyar was truly in his element in the game, scoring the first goal and making a key pass for the second.
The first goal – in the 22nd minute – was a beauty. Akhyar received a headed pass from fellow winger Safawi Rasid, with two defenders ahead of him.
Instead of dribbling past them, Akhyar pulled the ball back and unleashed a shot from 25m out, leaving the defenders dumbfounded.
The second came in the 42nd when Akhyar sent a through pass to rightback Azam Azmi Murad, who unleashed a cross that was finished off by Filipino playmaker Manuel Ott.
The Vietnamese side pulled one back late in the first-half when Brazilian midfielder Luiz Antonio scored a free-kick from 30m out, surprising the Terengganu players who were caught ball-watching.
In the 53rd minute, Terengganu centreback Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili deflecting a corner into his own net to give the visitors the equaliser.
Akhyar and Co tried in vain for a winner but they just could not get their first group win. In an earlier match, they were beaten 2-3 by Cambodian club Svay Rieng on Aug 21.
The Turtles will next take on Myanmar club Shan United on Jan 8 next year.
Terengganu coach Tomislav Steinbruckner said his team deserved more than a point and knows they must win the last two group matches.
“A few mistakes led to the outcome. We had the perfect first half and controlled everything. Then, in the 45th minute, they had a free-kick and scored. That is when the game tilted,” he said.
“We were the better side but we didn’t score as many goals as we should have. Now it will be more difficult.”
Terengganu are fifth in Group A, with one point, while Thanh Hoa top the table with four points.
