Ezra held onto a narrow lead to beat Shun United 3-2 in the Club Championship ASEAN play-offs on Thursday. The hosts opened the scoring through Edson in the twenty-first minute before Shun United hit back with two goals from M. Narita. Edson restored the lead with a penalty after the break, and though B. Donsanouphit pulled one back for the visitors, Ezra saw out the game.
And here's the thing — Shun United had already lost five league games without finding a win, yet they came into this fixture with momentum from recent results. Their last five included four wins and a draw, but the table tells a different story. They sat in sixth place with zero points, a situation that doesn't quite add up with the form shown on the pitch.
The match shifted quickly after the interval. M. Narita completed his brace in the fifty-first minute before Edson stepped up for the penalty in the sixty-first. Coaches brought on fresh legs: Ezra introduced E. Boateng and S. Banahene in the fifty-seventh, while Shun United tried to respond with X. Phomsavanh just five minutes later.
By then the game had opened up. B. Donsanouphit found the net in the seventy-sixth minute, turning the fixture into a genuine contest. Shun United threw bodies forward, bringing on Aung Lwin Moe, Aung Ye Yint, and P. Thongsanith in quick succession. K. Oo, already booked in the thirty-third minute, was also among the substitutes made.
Ezra's victory keeps them competitive in the play-off stage. They had beaten Yangon United 2-1 in their previous outing on September eighth, and this result extends that run of positive form. Shun United's defeat means their winless league campaign continues, even if their recent results suggest otherwise.
