Saigon’s confidence had clearly been boosted by their opening 3-2 victory over Singapore’s Tampines Rovers last Wednesday.
The first chance of the match fell to the host team as Trong Phi found a good opening in the box in the seventh minute; however, his shot went just over the horizontal bar.
East Bengal’s first real chance arrived in the 22nd minute as Saigon goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong comfortably deflected a shot from Nigerian midfielder Orji.
Saigon continued to control the game in the second half and again came close to a breakthrough two minutes before the hour mark as Nhu Quang’s volley from close range hit over the cross bar.
Following the draw, Saigon Xuan Thanh and East Bengal share first place on top of Group H standings with four points each, while Tampines Rovers and Selangor stand at bottom with zero points.
Saigon will continue their AFC Cup competition with a clash against Malaysia’s Selangor at Thong Nhat stadium on April 3, which recorded a 3-3 draw with Singapore’s Tampines Rovers in another Wednesday game.
