Cong An Ha Noi Stun Shanghai Port 3-2 as Brayan Perea Scores Winner in AFC Champions League Elite
Cong An Ha Noi stunned Shanghai Port 3-2 at the SAIC Motor Pudong Arena on October 27 in the AFC Champions League Elite, with Brayan Perea scoring the winner in the 69th minute to give the Vietnamese champions their first win of the campaign.
It was a thrilling match in Shanghai. The visitors went ahead twice, and the three-time reigning Chinese Super League champions fought back both times to draw level. Ampem scored Port's first equaliser in the 44th minute, and Miguel Campos brought the home side level again in the 60th minute to make it 2-2.
But Hanoi had the last word. Brayan Perea struck nine minutes later to make it 3-2, and Port could not find another leveller. Former Adelaide United captain Stefan Mauk started in midfield for the visitors, in an interesting twist for Port head coach Kevin Muscat, who is also an Australian. Muscat described the match as being more like boxing than football.
The defeat is a major surprise. Port came into the match unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, a run that stretched across the Chinese Super League and Asia. Before this game they had a win and a draw from their first two league-phase matches, including a 1-1 draw with Daejeon Hana Citizen. They now have a win, a draw and a loss from three games and sit on four points.
For Cong An Ha Noi, this was a much-needed win. They had lost both of their opening games in the competition and came to Shanghai with no points. The victory takes them to three points, only one behind the team they beat.
The result is a big boost for the Vietnamese side's hopes of reaching the knockout stage. The top eight teams from the 16-club East Region advance to the last 16, so every point counts. Hanoi still have five matches left in the league phase to improve their position.
Port, meanwhile, will take on Newcastle Jets in their next Asian game. The Jets lost 5-2 to Kyoto Sanga on the same night and are bottom of the East table without a point.