Muangthong's Pol confident of progress
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Muangthong United's assistant coach Pol Chomchuen says his side is good enough to secure a victory when they visit Australia's Melbourne Victory this weekend with a place in the AFC Champions League group phase up for grabs.
The Thai Premier League runners-up are just one match away from their second successive appearance in the continent’s elite club competition after they overcame Vietnamese champions Hanoi T&T 2-0 in a feisty encounter at the SCG stadium on Saturday.
Teed up by former England international striker Jay Bothroyd, Macedonian midfielder Mario Durovski broke the deadlock for the hosts 36 minutes into the one-off play-off match.
The game became intense after Hanoi’s Australian defender Sam Gallagher was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Spain-bound Teerasil Dangda that denied the striker, who will join Almeria on a year-long loan move in July, a scoring opportunity.
Soon afterwards, journeyman Bothroyd, once capped by England and also Muangthong’s marquee signing during the close season, put the game beyond the visitors’ reach with a goal on his competitive debut for his new club.
Tempers flared when Muangthong’s Atit Daosawang and visiting forward Samson Olaley were both dismissed after the pair clashed in the dying minutes.
Speaking to the media after the match in place of English coach Scott Cooper, Pol praised his men for the team effort that booked a play-off date with the Melbourne-based club on February 15 at the A-League outfit’s Kardinia Park stadium.
“Hanoi did very well early using short passes and moved quickly, but we could see their vulnerability especially with long balls. So we adjusted our play and it was effective,” Pol said.
After making the debut in the competition last season when they qualified directly as the league champions, Pol believes Muangthong could secure a place in Group G alongside titleholders Guangzhou Evergrande, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Yokohama Marinos by defeating the Australians.
“Now, our next mission is against Melbourne Victory. They are a strong side, physically. We’ve followed them for a while. Of course, we’ve a chance of making it through,” he said.
