Kanbawza's Ne Win Aung puts a cross in under pressure from Energy's Kyaw Khine Win.

HOME Affairs produced its best performance of the season and should have left Aung San Stadium with all three points but succumbed to a late Kanbawza equaliser,

The match finishing in a 2-2 draw but struggling Home Affairs will be happy to have secured their first point in the Myanmar League, having been beaten in their previous three games. The result was largely thanks to talismanic striker Si Thu Win, who notched both their goals.

He opened the scoring in just the second minute when his clever lob deceived Kanbawza keeper Myo Lwin Oo, after being set up by winger Zaw Zaw Aung.

It was just the start the underdogs needed and they continued to play confident football, testing the Kanbawza goalkeeper seven times in the opening half.

Home Affairs’ dominance paid off in the first minute of the second half when they were awarded a penalty for a handball by Kanbawza defender Aung Kyaw. Striker Si Thu Win doubled his team’s lead and his own goal tally, making it 2-0 to Home Affairs.

To their credit, Kanbawza hit back almost immediately thanks to their two halftime substitutes. Aung Myo’s cross from the right wing was finished off from close range by Tun Min Oo, the score 2-1 in the 49th minute.

It was the turning point of the match and the momentum was now with Kanbawza. This was compounded in the 61st minute when Home Affairs midfielder Aung Phyo Myint was shown a straight red card for attacking Kanbawza defender Nyarna Lwin, after a foul on a Home Affairs player. It was the first red card shown in the Myanmar League this season.

Tensions were running high and the match was stopped for some time after the ugly incident as both sets of players and officials became involved in a melee, a largely harmless affair.

When play restarted Kanbawza made all the running but couldn’t find a way through the resolute Home Affairs defence.

Now down to ten men, they almost managed to kill the game off when Lone striker Si Thu Win went agonizingly close to completing his hat trick, his thunderous shot from outside the box coming back off the woodwork.

Kanbawza managed to take advantage of their numerical superiority right at the death, goalscorer Tun Min Oo’s shot was blocked by the keeper but striker Kyaw Thiha turned the rebound into the net, making it 2-2.

In other matches, defending champion Customs failed to take the advantage of Kanbawza’s draw, only managing a 1-1 draw themselves against Agriculture and Irrigation.

Defense came from a goal down to defeat Energy 2-1, inflicting their second loss of the season. Energy took the lead after just two minutes but a 35th minute equaliser from Aung Ko Min and a diving header from striker Ye Wai Yan Soe after 79 minutes secured the points for Defense.

Myanmar Railway beat Construction 1-0, the victory lifting them to the third on the table with 10 points, trailing Kanbawza on 11 points and leaders Customs, who are on 13 points.