Thai Premier League champions Buriram United are on the brink of elimination after squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Japan’s Cerezo Osaka in the AFC Champions League yesterday.
Buriram United players celebrate scoring against Cerezo Osaka.
In the other Group E game, South Korea’s Pohang Steelers won 4-2 at China’s Shandong Luneng.
Buriram remain at the bottom of Group E with two points from four games.
Pohang have eight points, Cerezo seven and Shandong five.
At I-Mobile Stadium, hosts Buriram United, who lost 4-0 in Osaka two weeks ago, took the lead after only nine minutes through a Theerathon Bunmathan free-kick.
Cerezo then piled the pressure on the Thunder Castle whose goalkeeper Siwarak Tedsungnoen was forced to make several fine saves.
Buriram’s Japanese player Kai Hirano came close to scoring against the Japanese team who were without Uruguay striker Diego Forlan.
Buriram raced to a 2-0 lead just before half-time when Osaka goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyeon failed to hold what looked to be a soft shot from Suchao Nutnum.
Yamashita Tatsuya cut the deficit to 2-1 after 64 minutes and scored the winner just before the final whistle.
Buriram, who reached the quarter-finals of the continental tournament last year, have also had an unconvincing spell at home.
They are currently 11th in the TPL with only eight points from six games.