Chonburi 3-2 PEA - Match Report: 2011

LEAGUE CUP
SEMI FINAL 2nd LEG
CHONBURI 3-2 PROVINCIAL ELECTRIC AUTHORITY 
CHONBURI STADIUM
Saturday 1st October, 2011 

MATCH REPORT
by Tor Chittinand

PEA reached their second successive League Cup final despite a 3-2 loss at Chonburi FC in the semi-final second leg last night.

The score was 3-3 over two legs and PEA advanced to the final on the away goal rule thanks to their 1-0 home win two weeks ago.

It was the second setback for the Sharks who were knocked out in the AFC Cup quarter-finals in midweek.

In a stormy match, PEA stunned the hosts after just three minutes when Suchao Nutnum headed the ball home for an early lead.

PEA were leading 2-0 on aggregate as Chonburi needed three unanswered goals to progress.

Guston Silva made it 1-1 on the night in the 25th minute but 60 seconds later, Chonburi were reduced to 10 men when Kenneth Akpueze was dismissed as the referee thought he elbowed Frank Acheampong but replays showed Akpueze did nothing and that Acheampong had feigned injury.

But Chonburi fought spiritedly and Pipob On-mo gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead to then make it 2-2 on aggregate.

In the second half, several players of both sides were booked before, in the 70th minute, Franck Ohandza scored an equaliser for PEA. Pipob made it 3-2 and Ney Fabiano nearly became the hero for the Sharks when his header was saved by goalkeeper Sivaruk Terdsungnern.

Provincial Electric Authority will meet Thai Port in the final on October 15th at Supachalasai stadium in a rematch of last year's showdown won by Port.

The Aftermath

*"Stormy" doesn't really cover it. It was a super-charged occasion and the sense of injustice - caused by some very debatable refereeing decisions - spilled over onto the car park following the match. Home fans surrounded the PEA bus and the visitors were locked inside their dressing room for well over ninety minutes after the final whistle. 

Emotions were running high and, in the absence of any real security, only the actions of some of the more level headed Chonburi supporters prevented a major incident. However, as there'd also been similar scenes at the league meeting between the two sides a few weeks earlier, we received a heavy fine and had to play our next two home games at neutral venues - the first with none of our fans allowed to attend.

On the pitch, this was one of the best performances I've ever seen from a Chonburi team. The fact it was against all the odds, and we came so close to pulling off an unlikely victory, made it even more impressive. Whilst I'm not condoning what happened outside the stadium, there's no doubt that these events contributed to a remarkable and memorable evening. It's unlikely we'll ever see anything quite like this again. Which is a huge shame.