Playing at their homecourt, the Dynamic Herb Cebu Football Club was overpowered by Singaporean opponent, Tampine Rovers FC, in their match last night, August 20, in the ASEAN Shopee Cup.
Rovers Makes a Statement on the Opening Day of the Shopee Cup
Despite playing as a visiting team, the Rovers made strikes through the hearts of Filipino fans watching at the Rizal Memorial Stadium for the opening day of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup.
The Rovers wasted no time asserting themselves, breaking the deadlock in just the second minute. Shuya Yamashita launched a precise long ball that released Taufik Suparno, whose attempt was parried by goalkeeper Rami Jeridi. But Hide Higashikawa reacted fastest, sliding in to smash the rebound into the roof of the net for a blistering opener.
Tampines nearly doubled their advantage moments later when another ball over the top sent Saifullah Akbar through on goal, only for Jeridi to make a sharp diving save to his right.
The Dynamic Herb Keeping it Close in the 1st Half
Cebu’s resistance finally cracked again in the 19th minute. From a corner swung in by Joel Chew, Australian defender Dylan Fox rose highest and thundered home a header from close range to give Tampines a 2-0 cushion.
The home crowd, however, had reason to cheer just two minutes later. Esrom Paulos delivered a perfectly weighted corner that found Senegalese striker Abou Sy, who climbed above his markers to head in from the far post. It was Cebu’s first real sight of goal, and they made it count to halve the deficit at 2-1.
The remainder of the half turned into an exchange of chances. Paulos nearly drew Cebu level with a low drive that forced Syazwan Buhari into a sharp stop at full stretch. Tampines, meanwhile, continued to probe, with Shah Shahiran’s free kick demanding a punched clearance from Jeridi.
Rovers Finishing the Job in the 2nd Half
After the restart, Tampines threatened to extend their lead again when Kohya Kazama unleashed a long-range strike that whistled toward goal, only for it to be smothered by the Cebu keeper.
Despite Cebu pushing forward in search of an equalizer, the visitors’ composure eventually paid off. Deep into added time, substitute Trent Buhagiar latched onto a rapid counterattack and produced a clinical finish to cap off the evening, restoring a two-goal cushion and confirming all three points for the Singaporeans.
The final whistle came after 97 minutes of action, sealing Tampines’ triumph in their first-ever appearance in the regional competition.
FINAL SCORE: Tampine Rovers FC 3 – 1 Dynamic Herb Cebu FC
Dylan Fox, whose towering header doubled the lead in the first half, was named Shopee Star of the Match for his commanding display at both ends of the pitch.
Group A Implications and Upcoming Games
The result placed Tampines Rovers atop Group A after Matchday 1, while Cebu were left still searching for their first points.
With a winning debut under their belt, the Singaporeans have set down an early marker in their ASEAN Club Championship campaign.
The Tampines Rovers FC are now 1-0 and will see action next on September 24, playing against Selangor FC of Malaysia as the Singaporeans still take on the role of the visiting team.
On the other hand, the Cebu FC is now 0-1, and will visit Vietnam as they play against the Công An Hà Nôi FC on September 24 as well.
