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HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese Super Cup champions Vissai Ninh Binh logged an emphatic 3-1 victory against South China in their first-ever Asian Football Confederation Cup's (AFC) Group G game yesterday in Hong Kong.

The visitors dashed the hopes of the Hong Kong League champions to redeem themselves following their second round exit from the AFC Champions League earlier this month.

Kavin Bryan opened the score in the 12th minute, and Dinh Van Ta doubled the lead halfway through the first half.

Just five minutes after the interval, Patiyo Tambwe put the game to bed by netting a third goal, although Chan Siu Ki did notch a consolation goal in the 57th minute.

"We studied South China well this past week, watching videos of their games together with the players," Ninh Binh coach Nguyen Van Sy was quoted as saying on the-afc.com.

"We managed to strictly follow our plan and are very happy with the result. South China are one of the strongest teams in this group.

"Our new players performed very well today, and they keep getting better every day. I'm very happy about the way we stood up in the second half as we came under pressure," he said.

"In the second half, we played more aggressively but we missed our chances," said South China coach Yeung Ching Kwong.

"They played with a very good pace and their strategy of overlapping our wing left us exposed time after time.

"Of course we are disappointed, but Vissai (Ninh Binh) played a very good game and it was a reasonable result," Kwong added.

In the other match of the group, Yangon United of Myanmar trounced Kelantan from Malaysia 5-3.

Yangon, who top the ranking due to better goal difference, will play Ninh Binh in the next match at Ninh Binh Stadium on March 12.

Meanwhile, Kelantan will play South China on their home turf in the Sultan Mohammad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu.

Viet Nam have two representatives at the AFC Cup. On Monday, the V-League champions also won their first match over Maziya Sports&Recreation of the Maldives in Group F. – VNS