Vakhsh coach Uraz Turaqulov. Photo by: AFC/Stanley Chou.

KUCHING: Vakhsh are thankful they were taught an invaluable lesson very early in the tournament, which is not to take any opponent lightly.

That lesson will be one well-learnt as they take on Tatung in the second semi-final of the AFC President’s Cup at Sarawak Stadium on Thursday.

After a convincing 3-0 opening match win against Dordoi-Dynamo of Kyrgyzstan, Vakhsh’s arrogance saw them field their reserves against Nepal’s Manang Marshyangdi Club. The Nepalese upset the formbook by registering a 3-1 win.

“We didn’t respect our opponents then,” admitted Vakhsh coach Uraz Turaqulov.

“We made a mistake and we are glad that was in a preliminary match because we were still able to recover and find a place in the semifinal.

“It would be foolish to under-estimate anyone at this stage especially because there won’t be a second chance.”

While Vakhsh’s reputation has taken a dent, they still pack too much firepower to be stopped from proceeding to the final.

Like Vakhsh, the amateurs from Chinese Taipei suffered a painful defeat in their second match against Cambodia’s Khemara. A humiliating 5-1 roasting sent the technical team back to the drawing board.

“We had a re-look at the team as a whole, and studied again the quality of the players we had. We made two crucial changes,” said Tatung coach Chiang Mu-Tsai.

“From a 4-4-2 format, we switched to 3-5-2. There was more balance and it stabilized the team. I think the result in our following match proved it.”

Tsai Hui-Kai and Hsu Che Hao were replaced with Hsu Chia-Cheng and Hou Sheng-Chung and Tatung went on to whitewash Bhutan’s Transport United 5-0.

Chiang observed Vakhsh played simple, straightforward football, preferring to catch the opponents on the break. Packing the midfield with five players, he hopes, will check that.

Both teams are counting on good weather. It has been raining everyday in Kuching except yesterday, a restday for the tournament.