Machida Zelvia beat Swa Rieng 2:0 in the AFC Cup Group Stage 1 on Wednesday at Machida Stadium. The hosts took the lead in the twenty-first minute when M. Duke scored, and T. Yengi added a second in the sixtieth. Swa Rieng kept possession for most of the game but could not create a single big chance.
Duke's goal came early, and the hosts were already in control of the tie by then. Swa Rieng's F. Hammouti picked up a yellow card in the twenty-sixth, a reminder that the visitors felt the pressure from the opening whistle. Machida's manager reached for his pocket after the break, making two changes at the interval: M. Duke and J. Tartarotti were replaced by F. Tokumura and C. Shields.
The visitors tried to drag the game out, but Machida switched off at the back only briefly before closing the gap. Yengi found the net in the sixtieth, and the hosts stretched the back line with more urgency. Substitutions followed in quick succession: T. Odawara came off in the sixty-fifth, while T. Nishimura and T. Ouwejan were paired up in the seventy-fourth. T. Akimoto also received a yellow card in the seventy-eighth.
Machida won 28 aerial duels to Swa Rieng's 28 — a dead heat that told you little. The hosts registered five shots on target from eleven inside the penalty area, while the visitors managed only two shots on target from four attempts. Machida completed 312 passes with a 28 per cent shot accuracy; Swa Rieng completed 376 but hit the target just twice. Possession sat at 46 per cent for Machida, 54 for Swa Rieng.
Both sides entered this match with zero games, zero wins and zero points in the group table. The result gives Machida a one-point cushion over Swa Rieng's third-place position, though the standings barely moved with only the first round completed. A clean sheet and two goals from two different scorers means the hosts will make life awkward for whoever they face next.