Two goals in the last six minutes gave Buriram a healthy lead to take into the League Cup semi-final second leg against a resilient Songklah United. The home side struggled to break down the visitors’ defence after Supachok’s wonder strike had been cancelled out by Sergio Suarez’s rocket free-kick at the end of the first-half.
Even after First Division Songklah had been reduced to ten men, Buriram failed to create clear-cut chances in a display that lacked pace and aggression. The Buriram of last season didn’t just beat weaker sides, they destroyed them but those days seem a long way off.
It was a sedate opening, with Buriram content to retain possession and probe the Songklah defence. There had been little in the way of goalmouth action when Buriram took the lead in the fifteenth minute.
A Jakkaphan left-wing corner was cleared to Supachok some thirty yards out and the youngster took a couple of touches before thundering a shot past the helpless keeper who didn’t even attempt to make a save as the ball screamed into the net just inside the post.
Seven minutes later Diogo pulled up clutching his right hamstring and it was a bit of a surprise that he continued after receiving treatment.
Buriram were finding it difficult to break down the Songklah defence and had not really looked like extending their lead until four minutes before the interval.
Following a left-wing cross Anawin beat the offside trap to find himself completely unmarked but instead of bringing the ball down, he inexplicably elected to head the ball back towards Diogo and it was cleared downfield.
Siwarak came to Buriram’s rescue in the forty-second minute when the Buriram defence was caught square and he had to rush out of his area to clear the danger.
However, there was to be no reprieve shortly after when Songklah levelled in first-half stoppage time. Another through ball allowed the visitors a clear run on goal and Sieghart gave away a free-kick, just outside the area.
He received a yellow card but much worse was to follow. Sergio Suarez hammered the free-kick into the roof of the net and although it was straight at Siwarak, the sheer pace left the keeper clutching at thin air.
It had been a desperately poor performance by Buriram against lowly opposition and it was hard to see where goals were going to come from. No-one was dictating play from midfield and Diogo was clearly struggling with his injury.
Buriram brought on Kaio for Dos Santos and surprisingly Diogo reappeared for the second-half. He now begins a three-match ban and coupled with the international break Buriram must have felt that he had plenty of time to recover.
A minute in, Kaio got through down the left but his low shot lacked power and didn’t really trouble the keeper. The unthinkable almost happened shortly after when a dreadful mistake by Narubadin forced Siwarak to make an excellent block with his body.
Diogo then sent Kaio through but he was just beaten to the ball by the advancing keeper. The Brazilian was desperately unlucky in the fifty-third minute when he collected Diogo’s pass in the area before turning to beat the keeper with a low shot but the ball came back off the post.
Diogo then finally went off to be replaced by Chaowat before Songklah were reduced to ten men. In a bizarre incident, Anon was hit just below the neck by a flying two-footed tackle which would not have been out of place in a Jackie Chan movie.
The referee immediately pulled out his red card and in doing so, sent it high up into the air. Despite the official’s smile, Songklah failed to see the funny side but truthfully the referee had no option.
Buriram had a great chance to regain the lead in the sixty-seventh minute when the ball was pulled back from the right to Jakkaphan and the keeper made a complete hash of his low shot.
The ball broke to Kaio, only three yards out but he hit an unconvincing shot straight into the keeper’s chest. Two minutes later Buriram were almost made to pay.
For the umpteenth time this season the Buriram defence was breached by a through ball but thankfully the resulting shot flew wide of the far-post. Chitipat was then replaced by Koravit and the defence immediately had a more solid look about it.
Despite being a man down, Songklah were putting Buriram under pressure and it was going to take something special for Buriram to make the breakthrough. And indeed something special did arrive in the eighty-fourth minute.
Jakkaphan fed Supachok in the box and he completely wrong-footed the visitors’ defence with a deft back-heel which left Anon free to coolly beat the keeper with a well-placed low shot.
It really was a superbly executed goal and to say it was much-needed would be a gross understatement. It got better for Buriram when they were awarded a penalty in stoppage time.
Narubadin went down under a heavy challenge in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Songklah were furious, claiming that the defender played the ball first. They were in fact correct but these days it is still a foul if the referee deems the challenge to be unnecessarily hard.
Kaio stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way and give Buriram some much-needed breathing space for the second-leg next month.
Yet again Buriram were made to struggle against lesser opposition and it is difficult to see much changing for the rest of the season. Major rebuilding will have to be done in the close season if Buriram are to become a real force again.
Buriram now face a trip to Army United on Saturday August 20 8pm before the league is suspended for Thailand’s World Cup qualifier against Japan.