Buriram have a lot to learn, says coach Bandovic
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Despite a crucial 1-0 victory over China's Shandong Luneng in his first match in charge of the side, Buriram United's newly appointed Serbian coach Bozidar Bandovic sounded a note of caution by saying the Thai treble winners still "have much to learn".
Having succeeded Alejandro Menendez last Thursday after the side’s poor run of form cost the Spaniard his job, former Olympiakos technical director Bandovic was thrown deep into the action with AFC Champions League’s Group E fixture at home to Chinese Super League runners-up Shandong on Wednesday.
Without a win from their first four matches in the continent’s elite club competition, Buriram were desperate for a win against the Chinese visitors to rekindle their hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the second consecutive season.
They did earn precious three points, thanks to Japanese midfielder Kai Hirano’s first-half header, a result that catapulted them from bottom place to second in the group prior to the final round of fixtures next week.
Tied on five points from as many matches with both J-League outfit Cerezo Osaka and Shandong, Buriram look to have a better chance of clinching the remaining qualification spot as they visit already-qualified Pohang Steelers of South Korea, while the other two sides clash with each other in China.
Buriram, who twice won domestic treble in three seasons, would book a berth in the last-16 round with a win at Pohang Steelyard Stadium irrespective of the result of the group’s other match in Jinan.
Bandovic hailed his men’s heroics. “First of all, I would like to say congratulations to the players and the fans because today, they are the winners.
The victory was great. We were leading in the first half because our players followed all the tactics that we had planned.
“We controlled the game and we did very well even though our opponents had many chances to score.
The Serbian, though, warned his players to keep their feet on the ground ahead of a “make-or-break” encounter with Pohang next Wednesday, by saying “ we still have much to learn and to improve as a team”.
