Buriram suffer unlucky loss

In front of a noisy home crowd at the venue with a capacity of over 90,000, Buriram, the first club from the country in a decade to reach the knock-out stage of the continent’s elite competition, fell behind early just two minutes into the match.

Right back Khosro Heidari intended to cross the ball into the box but instead saw his delivery go in off the far post amid surprise among the home team’s players themselves. However, the hosts were unable to build on the early advantage and had to settle with a result that left the tie delicately poised.

Buriram, who made only their second appearance in the competition, are due to host the return leg at the I-Mobile stadium on September 19.