Mayhem follows Buriram’s away victory at Sukhothai
There were angry scenes both in and outside Sukhothai’s Thung Thalay Luang stadium on Saturday night when Buriram United revived their campaign for this year’s Thai League 1 title with a 3-1 win over the hosts.
The home fans’ celebrations marking a 70th-minute goal by Khapfah Bunmatoon were still going on when a five-minute stoppage ensued as Sukhothai players hotly contested the match referee’s decision to award a penalty to Buriram.
Sukhothai’s Yutthapong Srilakorn was adjudged to have fouled Diogo Luis Santo in the 73rd minute.
After order was restored, Diogo calmly converted the penalty to net the equaliser which eventually turned out to be the turning point of the match — and cause for more trouble.
With the game evenly poised, fourtime champions Buriram gained control of the proceedings.
Sukhothai were dealt a double blow in the 81st minute when Panomkorn Tosantea was red-carded for pulling down Jakson Coelho in the box and Diogo had little trouble in converting the resulting penalty.
As the hosts were left with 10 men on the field Diogo completed his hat-trick in injury time.
Tempers also flared in the stands and Buriram’s departure from the stadium was substantially delayed when a large group of Sukhothai fans mobbed their bus.
In the aftermath of the match, Sukhothai lodged a complaint with the Football Association of Thailand, protesting the match referee’s decision to award the first penalty.
Buriram have responded by releasing a sequence of still photographs, illustrating how their star striker was fouled.
Nevertheless, Buriram United coach Ranko Popovic left the venue a relieved man as his side bounced back from two straight losses.
He said: “We made several changes and used many new players. It must have been a great experience for them as they faced intense pressure from the local crowd. This will help them become better players.”
Meanwhile, hosts Suphanburi were held to a 1-1 draw by Ratchaburi on Saturday night, Bangkok United routed Si Sa Ket 5-1 and Ubon UMT United edged Pattaya United 1-0.