My Favourite Match
by Grant Aitken
Thai Premier League
Bangkok United v Muangthong United
Thammasat Stadium
3rd May, 2017
The 2017 season will be remembered fondly by Muangthong supporters for our ACL. Whilst there were some great memories of us tearing into the continents finest, I’m actually going to focus on a domestic encounter that provided me with some of the strongest visuals in my 7 years following Thai football.
The Kirrens were crowned league champions in 2016 after holding off a very impressive Bangkok United side. The two matches played out that year were highly competitive and the quality was amongst the best I’ve seen out here.
However, it is the season after that I am going to focus on, because of the tactical prowess on display. Bangkok United is one of the few away fixtures I can routinely honor, primarily due to the traffic flowing in the opposite direction to Phatum Thani were the stadium is based. I know Thammasat has its detractors, I am one of them, but in fairness the architecture always gives me the “big game” feel, even if attendances only approach half capacity when more popular visiting sides fill out their ticket allocations.
At the time Muangthong were top of the league having won 9 of their first 11 league fixtures that year. We were also undefeated 5 matches into the aforementioned champions league campaign. Confidence was understandably high, but we had reason to be weary given how closely Bangkok United had run us on route to winning the league title the season before.
We lined up with a resolute back 3 that had served us so well on our continental travels. Aoyama was in the middle, with Celio Santos and Adison either side of him. Previously, when this system was deployed it had had allowed Theerathon and Tristan Do to menacingly roam forward with impunity. I nodded approvingly whilst digesting Totchawan’s team selection via my phone as I settled into my seat.
Thammasat Stadium is often cited as having the worst away stand view in the league, however, one benefit it does provide is being able to take in the full pitch within a single gaze. It was from this position that I could appreciate the strategy that the opposition coach, Mano Polking, had put into place.
Correctly anticipating that we would line up with an extra centre back as opposed to our customary back 4, he’d clearly had a little word in Brazilian wizard Marchena’s ear and told him to very purposely drive at Celio on his unfavoured right hand side. Time and time again in the opening 10 minutes he got the better of his countryman forcing, Aoyama, the central of the 3 defenders to cover out of position as Marchena merrily danced his way to the byline.
One small blessing was that at the time we boasted Thailand’s greatest export, Theerathon Bunmathan, in our ranks. A man capable of turning the game on its head, even as a defender. However, Mano also had a cunning plan prepared for one of Asia’s best defenders. League stalwart, Mica Chunuonsee, had been placed at right back on the team sheet, but in reality he was man marking his opposite number. Totchawan put in the ground work to help Theerathon the dangerous inverted full back we know him as today, preempting this Mica barely left his side, and seriously thwarted our chances of successfully playing out from the back.
We were 1-nil down inside 15 minutes. If memory serves me correctly, Marchena skinned Celio and flashed a ball across the face of the goal which was promptly turned into his own net by an uncomfortable Aoyama. In truth it could have been 2 or 3 at that point.
Thankfully, there was a chink in the BU armor. A dodgy keeper, who must have been an asset to the changing room as his erratic keeping had let the side down numerous times previously. We won a corner on one of the few occasions we were able to get out of our own half. Theerathon took it and scored directly from it. We didn’t warrant an equalizer at this point, Polking must have been swearing blindly at those water bottles he was so keen to converse with, whilst Totchawan would probably have been too concerned about the way Muangthong had played thus far to take relief at the equalizer.
We gained a little confidence with the fortuitous goal without making any inroads but still took deep breaths whenever Marchana got on the ball. After half an hour played, Totchawan had decided he’d seen enough. Channeling his inner Mike Bassett, he took off Adison, put Peerapat on the left wing and switched to a back 4. The effect was immediate. Mica, having persistently shadowed Theerathon so far in the match, was forced deeper to deal with the wide man.
Literally a minute after the substitution, Theerathon picked up the ball in ample space, carried it 10 yards before lobbing a ball over the Bangkok United backline and into the path of legendary striker Terrasil Dangda. The opposition keeper again made an error, coming out to challenge Terrasil, only to arrive too late and allowing the forward to dink the ball over him. Terrasil then outmuscled the last defender to get chest the ball into an empty net. Great goal, great substitution, advantage Totchawan.
We went in at half time leading in a match we had no right to. Bangkok United must have still had their heads spinning from the events of the first half, as we were 3-1 up within one minute of the restart. The midfield had clearly not yet realized the implication of leaving the right back outnumbered, as Peerapat cut in from the left and evaded a couple of challenges before smashing the ball home. Totchawan could now smile, he deserved to after averting a disaster and turning the game on its head against a very capable opposition.
The result was a formality after that. Cue a rare collector’s item as Lee Ho sprang the offside trap to race through and square to Terrasil to tap into an empty net, followed by a late conciliation goal and muted celebration by future head coach Mario Djorovski.
Great game, not the first or the last between those two sides either, and a contributing factor as to why I always look out for this fixture when the schedules are released.
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