Midfielder Sarach suffers broken ankle
Midfielder out for six months with broken ankle
>> Midfield marshal Sarach Yooyen’s injury in SCG Muang Thong United’s 1-0 Thai League 1 victory over Sukhothai on Friday night has not only jeopardised his club’s chances in the AFC Champions League but also the national team’s bid to resurrect their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This is the second blow suffered by defending Thai League champions Muang Thong United before playing the ACL opener at Brisbane Roar on Tuesday. The Kirins departed for the match in Australia yesterday.
After losing their prolific scorer Cleiton Silva to second-tier Chinese club Shanghai Shenxin, the Kirins have now heard that Sarach needs surgery on his right ankle and faces five to six months on the sidelines.
Sarach, a defensive midfielder who has also been a key player of the national team, sustained a broken ankle in a nasty challenge from Sukhothai’s Pichit Jaibun on Friday night.
Apart from the ACL Group E away game against Brisbane Roar on Tuesday, Sarach was set to play in the World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Japan next month.
An examination by Dr Pornthep Mamanee at Bangkok Hospital’s sport medicine clinic revealed that Sarach had badly twisted his right ankle, leading to a broken bone.
He will undergo surgery to embed steel pins to support the broken ankle as soon as the swelling on his injured foot has subsided.
Sukhothai’s resistance lasted 53 minutes on Friday night and they conceded the decisive goal when Theerathon Bunmathan’s free-kick was headed in by Naoaki Aoyama, giving Muang Thong United their second straight win at the start of the 2017 season.
Cleiton, who is expected to seal his transfer deal to China—reportedly worth about US $2.8 million—over the next few days, had a chance to bid farewell to his Muang Thong United fans, coming on as a substitute late in the match.
The Brazilian forward was the top scorer in the league last year and he scored in the Kirin’s 4-0 hammering of Bangkok Glass last week.
Muang Thong coach Totchtawan Sripan said: “It was a difficult game. It was very different from the one we played against them in the Thailand Champions Cup and beat them 5-0.
“We knew that they were playing for a draw. We had many chances and finally scored off a free-kick in the second half.”
Tawan added: “We should bring in some good player to replace Cleiton Silva, but according to the rules we now cannot sign a foreign player for the first half of the season. His departure will surely affect our team, but we are always ready for such things.”
Meanwhile, big spenders Chiang Rai United also kept their unbeaten record intact with a 3-1 victory over Si Sa Ket last night.
A 19th-minute strike by Rafael Coelho seemed to be carrying Chiang Rai United to victory, but Si Sa Ket clawed their way back into the match with a goal from Viana da Silva at the 70-minute mark.
However, parity restored by Da Silva lasted only two minutes as Coelho found the net again for the hosts before an injury-time score from midfielder Felipe Azevedo ensured three points for Chiang Rai United.
Bangkok Glass, who had finished the 2016 season in third place, failed in their efforts to claim their first victory over Super Power Samut Prakan last night.
The match ended in a goalless draw, leaving visiting Bangkok Glass with just one point from their two matches so far.