AFC Cup newbie Saigon provided a shock as they stormed into a 3-0 lead over the Tampines who had reached the knockout stage for four consecutive seasons before bowing out in the group stage last year.
Cameroonian striker Christian Nsi Amougou swept the ball into the left bottom corner past Rovers goalkeeper Sasa Dreven in the 20th minute to put Saigon ahead 1-0.
It was also Nsi who doubled the advantage with a powerful strike in the 61st minute before teammate Pham Thua Chi added a third with just six minutes remaining.
Tampines attempted a comeback with late successful strikes from Khairul Amri and Aleksandar Duric in the 89th and 92nd minutes; however, it proved too late to save the S-League champions from defeat.
With this well-deserved victory, Saigon Xuan Thanh secured a full three points and shared the Group H top spot with India’s Kingfisher East Bengal, who recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Malaysia’s Selangor last Wednesday.
Saigon Xuan Thanh will continue their AFC Cup campaign with a clash on the home-turf against Kingfisher East Bengal at Thong Nhat stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on March 13.
