Buriram beaten but not broken
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Thai team hoping to recover from loss with a win at home
The prevailing mood of Buriram United players on the flight back home from a tricky trip against Iranian giants Esteghlal was one of optimism with the knowledge that their AFC Champions League quarter-final tie was far from over following an unfortunate 1-0 first-leg defeat.
Many expected Buriram’s surprise run in the continent’s elite club competition would come to a terminal ending against the Iranian champions, a club from one of Asia’s traditional powerhouses.
However, the perceived gap between the two sides was not as wide as several pundits had thought even though the Thai FA Cup winners fell behind early barely two minutes into the match at the hosts’ formidable fortress, the 90,000-plus-capacity Azadi Stadium, in the Iranian capital on Wednesday night.
However, the Thais conceded the goal in highly unfortunate circumstances when Esteghlal fullback Khosro Heydari’s intended cross into the box swung wildly and went in off the far post, surprising even his team-mates.
Despite suffering the ill-luck at the start to the game, Buriram, the first Thai club to reach the knockout stage of the competition in a decade, regrouped remarkably in front of a massive home crowd, with Spanish central defender Osmar Ibanez once again standing tall at the back.
In fact, the visiting team, who were making only their second successive appearance in the tournament, did finish the game stronger as they had a couple of decent late chances to salvage something as a reward for their battling performance.
The gritty efforts shown by his side, which earned them a fighting chance at home in the second leg on September 18, clearly pleased Buriram coach Goran Drulic.
“It wasn’t a bad game. We played really well and had much better ball possession during the whole match but we were very unlucky to concede as early as the second minute,” Drulic was quoted as saying on the AFC’s official website, the-afc.com.
“Usually when you fall behind shortly after the start, players will get stressed out and caught off guard, but we didn’t panic and we maintained our mastery over the hosts. We also had some very good chances to level the match.”
Having watching his charges keep the tie alive ahead of the return leg at the I-Mobile stadium, Drulic had no doubt that his players would be able to get the job done at home by successfully overturning a 1-0 deficit to extend the run, which started from the playoff round back in February, into the last four.
“We came to Tehran for a win but we lost the match and we have to return home empty-handed,” said the Serbian. “But I am very optimistic about the return match and I feel we can make it to the next round, since we have the potential to be among the last four.
“We outplayed Esteghlal on their home turf with our desired system and we’re looking forward to playing better back home in the second leg.
“I’m certain the fans watched a very good game this evening and they all enjoyed themselves, I’m pretty much sure the Thai supporters would watch the same quality of game when we play at home on September 18.
“I can’t elaborate further on our plans for the return leg but I’m positive that the excessive humidity in Thailand will be troubling for Esteghlal who are unaccustomed to such weather conditions.”
