Chiangrai United still hopeful of making it to ACL knockouts
DOHA: Despite having lost all three of their 2020 AFC Champions League matches, Chiangrai United will fight for a place in the tournament’s knockout stage until it becomes a mathematical impossibility, according to interim coach Alongkorn Thongsaum.
Speaking ahead of Chiangrai’s Friday meeting with FC Seoul, a side who beat them 5-0 on Tuesday, Alongkorn admited the 2019 Thai champions have it all to do but insists his side will continue to fight for as long as possible.
“We have to start the match looking for the first goal,” said Alongkorn. “If we can score the first goal, we think we can get some points from this match.
“For the next three matches, we are going to give our best. We know that it’s quite difficult now to qualify for the next round, but anything can happen. It’s just three matches.
“We hope that we can follow what we have planned, and if we do, we believe we can turn the situation around. We are the underdogs here, so we have nothing to lose and we must fight until the end.”
Comprehensively beaten by a rampant Seoul in their first match on Qatari soil, Chiangrai are hopeful their Doha travelogue will feature a much rosier second chapter.
Pulling off a such a turnaround just 72 hours ater suffering such a heavy defeat is no easy task, but Alongkorn believes his side will be beter prepared this time, both physically and tactically.
Shanghai Shenhua head coach Choi Kang-hee has called for focus as his side face FC Tokyo for the second time in three days in Group F of the 2020 AFC Champions League.
The Chinese Super League side managed a narrow win courtesy of a 72nd minute penalty scored by Yu Hanchao, giving Shanghai Shenhua their second win of the campaign and placing them in second place in the group.
“I felt that we were lucky to win the first game,” said Choi.
“We have to treat our opponents seriously. We are still facing difficulties and we need to stay focused. I trust the players to accomplish our target and play well.
“They are quite a tough opponent to fight against and they are really talented especially in atack, so we have to focus on our defence and work hard to stop them.”
Elsewhere, Melbourne Victory are well placed to challenge Beijing FC in the second of two 2020 AFC Champions League matches played between the clubs in the space of four days, according to coach Steve Kean.