Buriram made light of their status as underdogs against Japanese side Cerezo Osaka to claim a vital 2-0 victory. A goal in either half took Buriram to second in their group which is now wide open with all four teams in with a good chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages.
Defensively, Buriram were outstanding and limited the Japanese to only two clear-cut chances and even then, Siwarak came to to the rescue with two brilliant saves. Tunez never put a foot wrong all night and was coolness personified as the visitors stepped up the pressure after the second goal.
That being said, every single Buriram player was a hero as they all worked tirelessly to get men behind the ball and press Osaka during some long periods of possession by the visitors. The only blemish on the evening was a late straight red card for Jakkaphan. Initially, it seemed a harsh decision but replays showed it was a reckless tackle and the referee got it right.
Buriram were without the suspended Diogo and adopted a 3-5-1-1 system, with Supachok slotting in just behind lone striker Edgar. Junsoo was at left-back with Praweenwat filling the midfield holding role, which he did very effectively.
Ideally, Buriram needed an early goal and they got exactly that in the very first minute of the game. Good play down the right brought a corner which Korrakott curled in to the near post and Tunez attacked the ball to guide a header into the net from two yards.
It was almost two, seconds later when Junsoo was fouled out on the right. Once again, Korrakot’s delivery was excellent and the ball clipped the top of the crossbar with the keeper beaten. The Japanese were visibly shaken by the tenacious start made by Buriram but as was inevitable, they began to see more of the ball .
However, Buriram held their discipline and refused to be drawn into making rash challenges as the visitors probed for an opening. Siwarak’s first action of the night saw him save comfortably at his near-post in the 16th minute before Osaka finally opened up the Buriram defence in the 22nd minute.
Some beautiful one-touch passing around the edge of the area left them a clear sight of goal but Siwarak flung himself to his right to turn the ball away. Great save !
Buriram responded well and were inches away from a second goal in the 31st minute. A deep cross from the left found Narubadin unmarked at the far-post and the midfielder headed the ball back across goal but Edgar just couldn’t manage to get a touch on it.
The home side were looking dangerous on the break and Korrakot got free down the left in the 40th minute but when a cool head was required, he rushed his cross which was easy for the keeper. Four minutes later the pacy Supachok broke clear down the right but again he lacked the confidence to go it alone and shoot and instead sent an aimless cross into the box.
So job half-done and apart from that one chance, the Buriram defence had not really been stretched.
An early Buriram left-wing corner was only just cleared from under the crossbar by the Osaka defence and in the 50th minute Edgar made a great run down the left but carelessly let the ball go out of play when he reached the byline.
A minute later a lovely headed flick-on by Edgar set Ratthanakorn away but his first touch was too heavy and the chance was gone. However, it wasn’t long before Buriram and their fans were in dreamland.
Patient play down the left in the 53rd minute saw Jakkaphan collect the ball and send over a delightful cross for Edgar to peel off his marker before sending a firm header past the helpless keeper.
The visitors’ response was almost immediate and they had a great chance to reduce the deficit in the 58th minute when Narubadin was slow to react to a loose ball in the box and it was pounced on by an Osaka player , leaving him with only Siwarak to beat from eight yards. Once again he produced another brilliant save, diving low to his right.
This was probably the pivotal moment in the game and the Japanese never really threatened again and resorted to pumping long balls into the box which was meat and drink for the Buriram defence.
In fact,it was Buriram who almost added a third in the 68th minute when the keeper just got a hand to Korrakot’s vicious inswinging corner. Shades of Theerathon?
Buriram’s task of seeing the game out was made more difficult in the 75th minute when Jakkaphan was sent off for what the referee deemed to be a reckless challenge. As stated previously, it seemed a harsh decision but replays showed that Jakkaphan’s studs were up and went into the Japanese player’s shin.
The referee also took into consideration the force of the tackle and had little choice but to issue Jakkaphan his marching orders. The dismissal forced Buriram into a tactical substitution and they brought on Sasalak for Supachok.
Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors showed few signs of getting back into the game and Buriram came close again in the 84th minute when Korrakot’s free-kick from the left caused panic in the Osaka defence and they were lucky to get in two last-ditch blocks to keep the ball out.
There were no more dramas as Buriram comfortably saw the game out and Supachai came on for Ratthanakorn and Anon for Edgar in stoppage time.
This was a great night for Buriram and ranks alongside their other notable victories in the Champions League. It was thoroughly deserved and every single player can take pride in their performance. Perhaps being ultra-critical, they could have kept the ball better at times, particularly after the second goal.
But let no-one take anything away from this excellent performance.
It’s back to the league at the weekend, with Buriram facing a testing trip to Bangkok United on Saturday, March 10, 7pm.