Chonburi 4-2 Prachuap - Match Report by Peter Reeves: 2018

TPL

Chonburi 4-2 Prachuap

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: 4,991

Sunday 29th April, 2018

 

Match Report

by Peter Reeves

I’d been looking forward to this one for a few weeks. The visitors have started well so it would be interesting to see them. As we get ready to start, the cameras already having panned round a sparsely populated ground, focused on the grinning new coach, to reveal a lot of empty seats in the main stand. I remember sitting in therewhen it was packed and that for a largely unimportant game. Shame. Off we go.

 

After 10 minutes, the tactics were laid out. Prachuap quite content to sit back and play on the counter. They were passing it well, had a good shape and looked like they might justify their top 4 status.

 

The Sharks were creating chances though and Kroekrit missed, when well placed. Shortly after, another Chonburi forward got his header all wrong from close in. The visitors though were becoming their own worst enemies. Soaking up the pressure, but when they did win the ball, too often a poor pass gave it away. But they had a dangerous centre-forward and on 20 minutes, he made the most of an appalling mistake by Zulfahmi and hammered it past Chanin. 0-1.

 

It looked ominous for the home side, but good fortune was in blue tonight, as a

Nattaphol’s header from a corner came back off the post straight back onto a his head two yards out. 1-1. Fortunate indeed.

 

The half ended with the home team lucky to still have 11 on the field, after Teerapong took a wild kick at a Prachuap player on the floor and connected with him. Ciro then made himself look a fool, by taking a throw,  which he threw from in front of his face and then mimed the proper action when the ref pulled him up. Pathetic.

 

It hadn't been a brilliant half, but 1-1 about right.

 

The second half woke us up quickly, as a harmless looking shot from Ciro inexplicably beat the keeper at his near post. Prachuap pushed forward and I wondered why they hadn't started like this. But as is so often the case when chasing a goal, you leave space. A ball down the right, saw Saharat turn in from Worachit’s cross for 3-1.

 

Back came the visitors with a very good goal, the ball bent round a defender into the corner. 3-2. Breathless stuff and great entertainment. Would there be another? It came again as the away defence was caught napping and a good shot into the top corner by Settawut finished the contest. 4-2. It had been a very good game and the home team had played quite well. Effort levels were high and whilst the usual array of chances flew over the bar, they put away two crucial ones.

 

But let's play Devil’s advocate here. Prachuap were better. Just about everywhere. They had a good shape and a nice passing game. They lacked a little with the final ball, but maybe they had a bad day in that department. I'm sure they weren't at their best, but you could see why they are in the top 4.

 

Chonburi got a lucky equalizer, which set them up and were then gifted a second, when the keeper had dozed off. This meant that the visitors had to chase the game, leaving goals 3 and 4 as breakaways. Chase it they did and had a real go, which made it the best match I have seen in Thailand this season. They are well worth watching.

 

Chonburi though got lucky with two goals, but maximized their good fortune. In the end they scored four, enough to win it, and goals win matches, but it was never comfortable. However, it had been a good blues performance. It had to be.