HCM CITY — Navibank Sai Gon (NSG) easily defeated Indonesia's Arema 3-1 in their second match of group H of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup at Thong Nhat stadium on Wednesday.

Early mistakes in the Vietnamese team's defence allowed Putut Waringin Jati to put the visitors ahead in the fifth minute. However, Viet Nam tied the score in the 23rd minute thanks to the boot of striker Edison Fonseca.

The hosts retained possession for most of the second half, which allowed Fonseca to score his second in the 61st minute.

Despite a concerted effort by Arema to tie the score, NSG went further ahead in the 83rd minute when Fonseca got on the end of a pass from Luong Van Duoc Em to get his hat-trick.

Speaking after the match, coach Pham Cong Loc said: "I am very pleased with this result. Although Arema went ahead early, we played well to equalise the score and take the lead."

With one draw and one win after two rounds, NSG are now in second place in the group with four points.

On April 4, they will play Myanmar's Ayeyawady United at Thong Nhat Stadium, while Malaysia's Kelantan will host Arema at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil.

Ayeyawady beat Kelantan 3-1 in Yangon yesterday. They are also on four points but lead NSG on goal difference. — VNS