Fiery atmosphere as Muangthong hang on for victory
Often considered the biggest derby in Thai football, matches between Muangthong United and Buriram United are famous for producing a fiery atmosphere and high-scoring classics.
Sunday’s encounter between the two teams fulfilled expectations on both fronts, with the game marred by controversial refereeing decisions and a dramatic 3-2 win for Muangthong.
Muangthong United slumped to a 11 draw against Siam Navy FC the previous week and were keen to avoid another disappointment. The fixture has been traditionally dominated by the side from the North East, but Muangthong inflicted a 30 humiliation in their previous league encounter at the IMobile Stadium in April. For Buriram, it was time for revenge.
National manager Kiatisak Senamuang was among the 12,000 spectators present for Sunday’s clash of the titans with many crucial members of the national team featured in the match. Buriram opened the scoring through Diogo Luis Santo in the 17th minute but Thailand’s golden boy Chanathip came to the rescue with an equaliser in first half stoppage time. The hosts came out strongly in the second half with goals from Sarach and Cleiton Silva to put the side comfortably in the lead.
As always happens when the bitter rivals meet, the opposing sets of fans were constantly at war, with a number of Muangthong fans making their grievances apparent to the referee. A scrap between players on the touchline led Buriram coach Ghotbi to rush out of his technical area and calm the situation, but tension grew in the stands.
A pair of disgruntled fans were very vocal about the referee’s performance, shouting angrily towards Kiatisak’s box. Security officials were called to calm the situation, but the number of contentious decisions grew as Buriram were awarded a penalty in the 87th minute. The visitors made no mistake and were back within touching distance of their opponents. Cleiton was then brought down for a foul that looked worthy of a yellow card but the referee refused to give the call in favour of the home side.
The final moments were tense for Muangthong, as they were forced to hang on to the lead. The announcement of a fourminute stoppage time was met by loud boos from the home crowd, while the referee remained the centre of attention during the closing stages.
The fans seemed to momentarily forget about the match, shouting abuse at the referee. Tensions boiled over after the match, with security guards coming to escort the referee to safety and away from the wrath of the Muangthong players and fans.
Ghotbi looked furious with the showing of his players, while stoic Muangthong coach Totchtawan Sripan was visibly relieved to see his side back on top of the table.
