Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Buriram: Buriram United's dream start to their maiden AFC Champions League campaign came to an end on Wednesday as former champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors finally registered a win in Group H after posting a 2-0 victory at Buriram Stadium.
Last year's runners-up Jeonbuk were in real danger of slipping out of the qualification picture in Group H after suffering back-to-back 5-1 defeats by China's Guangzhou Evergrande and Japan's Kashiwa Reysol.
But first-half goals from Lee Sung-hyun and substitute Seo Sang-min lifted Jeonbuk firmly back into contention as Buriram saw their 100% start ended.
With Kashiwa and Guangzhou sharing a goalless draw in Japan, Jeonbuk moved within three points of leaders Buriram, who saw their lead at the top cut to two points ahead of the return fixture in Korea in two weeks.
"Kim Jae-hoan was superb for us. The teams in Group H are about the same, but for us Kim Jae-hoan did a great job and delivered the victory for us," said Jeonbuk coach Lee Heung-sil.
"We had prepared for the rain and unpredictable weather conditions in Thailand so we had no problem dealing with them.
"Having won three points, we are happy but we know that there is a long road ahead. I do not believe we are playing at our best due to injuries.
"We are certainly confident about our chances in the next game at home. We will do our best to try and get more wins."
Knowing defeat could leave the 2006 champions struggling to qualify for the Round of 16, 2 Lee handed Jeonbuk the ideal start as the midfielder opened the scoring after just nine minutes.
And 11 minutes before half-time Jeonbuk added a crucial second as Seo, who had replaced Brazilian midfielder Luiz Henrique (Luiz Henrique da Silva Alves) midway through the first half, doubled the visitors' lead.
"It is a shame that we lost the match. Our defence was a bit weak and we let them score too quickly," said Buriram coach Attaphol Puspakom
"Jeonbuk put lots of pressure on us especially in midfield and up front. Our formation for this match was different from the previous matches as we adjusted it to deal with certain circumstances and the conditions of the players. We then switched up our game a bit for the second half to go stronger offensively.
"Certainly, there were lots of expectations for us to win this game due to very favourable statistics but the players definitely felt the pressure.
"We were at an advantage throughout the second half as far as ball possession is concerned, but we just couldn't capitalise on our chances."