Goal! Weekly Article 2: Asian Champions League Coverage

CHONBURI CHALLENGE

After slaying Dragons, Victory face Thai test

By Julius Ross

Melbourne Victory made a dream start to its debut season in the AFC Champions League last Wednesday night, when it overwhelmed Korean outfit Chunnam Dragons 2-0 on home soil.

A penalty from Victory skipper Kevin Muscat and a header from robust defender Rodrigo Vargas secured a famous first Asia Champions League victory, with the Melbourne side dominating the majority of the match at Telstra Dome.

The triumph sees Victory ‘sitting pretty’ at the top of Group G, two points clear of their other Asian opponents, Thailand’s Chonburi FC and Japan’s Gamba Osaka, who fought out a 1-1 draw in match day one.

However, celebrations will be relatively short-lived for Ernie Merrick’s side, as it now faces a tough task away to Chonburi in Bangkok this Wednesday.

Chonburi will be full of confidence heading into the match against the Victory, after almost conquering J-League’s Gamba Osaka in their first group match.

Gamba grabbed a late and deserved equaliser against Chonburi, after controlling much of the game with slick passing and penetrations which constantly threatened the Thai side’s goal.

Chonburi sat back and absorbed much of Gamba’s pressure, but one rare forward attack paid off for the Thai side, when Arthit Sunthornpit pounced on a rebound in the 59th minute, and gave his side a surprise 1- 0 lead.

Chonburi spent the rest of the match hanging onto their slender lead, with goalkeeper, Kosin Hathairattanakool, making a string of crucial saves to keep his team in front.

But a fairytale start to the campaign was not to be for the visiting side, with Osaka’s Brazillian striker, Lucas, spoiling the show with 30 seconds of injury time remaining, lashing home a rebound to give the home side a share in the spoils.

Despite dropping two points in the dying seconds, Chonburi’s manager, Jadet Meelarp, was thrilled with the result.

Meelarp claimed that although his side failed to pull of a shock victory against Osaka, his team performed extremely well, neutralising Osaka’s continuous attacks, and he admitted that he never expected to achieve such an outcome.

Meelarp also praised his own work in churning out the significant result, adding that his extensive research of Gamba’s recent matches helped the side to nullify Osaka’s tactical superiority and attacking surges.

Chonburi’s entry into the AFC Champions League came after they comfortably won the Thailand Premier League title last season by nine points, becoming the first Provincial League side to win the championship in its history.

In only their second Premier League season, after being promoted from the Thailand Provincial League in 2005, Chonburi won 19 games, drew six and lost only five matches to be crowned the 2007 Thai Champions, and secure a place in this season’s AFC Champions League.

The Sharks, as the Chonburi fans label them, have started well in their title defence with three wins and one draw from its first four outings in this season’s Thailand Premier League.

The club is located near the Gulf of Thailand, in the heavily industrialised province of Chonburi, which is also a well-known seaside destination, around 80 kms from Bangkok.

Victory’s main concern will be scoring past in-form goalkeeper Kosin Hathairattanakool, who has been a member of the Thailand national team since 2004, and received the Most Valuable Player award in his club’s championship season in 2007.

The 25-year-old had an outstanding game against Osaka, confining the opposition to only one goal and shielding numerous onslaughts from the likes of Japanese international Yasuhito Endo.

Victory will not have the luxury of strong home support in its second group match; the away fixture against Chonburi is to be played at Suphachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok, which has a capacity of 35,000.

The Victory may also be forced to wear an away strip, as the Chonburi Sharks wear predominantly blue with white stripes.

Founded in 2002, Chonburi is a young club on the rise in Thailand, and will be a difficult task for the Melbourne Victory on match day two, due to their unfamiliar style and their surprising ability to achieve great results, as illustrated against Osaka.