SEOUL - Buriram United on Wednesday became the first Thai team in a decade to reach the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League after a thrilling night.
Buriram’s Carmelo Gonzalez, right, vies with FC Seoul’s Choi Hyo-Jin.
The Thai FA Cup champions emulated the achievement of BEC Tero Sasana, also coached by current Buriram boss Atthaphol Puspakom, in 2003.
BEC went on to reach the final before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.
Buriram, who were eliminated in the group stage last season, missed a first-half penalty but then twice came back from a goal down, within two minutes each time, to snatch a 2-2 draw at South Korean champions FC Seoul.
The result was enough to take Buriram through to the last 16 behind Group E winners Seoul thanks to their better goal difference over China's Jiangsu Sainty who stunned Vegalta Sendai 2-1 in Japan.
"I am very happy. We made it for the first time in our club's history. It was a tough game and my players did brilliantly to keep their nerves under control," said Atthaphol.
"We were grouped with big names from Korea, Japan and China but we learned from the previous season and we were better prepared this time thanks to the experience from last year."
At the World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Carmelo Gonzalez should have put Buriram in front from the penalty spot before half-time. But goalkeeper Yu Sang-Hun dived smartly low and to his right to turn the shot around the post.
Nine minutes after the break, the hosts carved open Buriram for the opener with a move which criss-crossed the pitch and was finished sweetly by Jung Seung-Yong, arriving late in the box.
But the lead was short-lived. In less than two minutes, a shot from Gonzalez was laid off by Kai Hirano for Ekkachai Samre, who revived Buriram's hopes by putting them level.
Another quickfire exchange of goals, in the 74th and 75th minutes, made it 2-2. Kim Hyun-Sung's header from a set-piece was followed by a raking free-kick from Buriram's Theerathon Bunmathan which crept in untouched.
In Sendai, Naoki Sugai's opener for the hosts was cancelled out by Liu Jianye in the first half, but Hamdi Salihi popped up on 62 minutes to give Jiangsu a 2-1 lead.
However, Jiangsu needed to beat Vegalta by six goals to qualify, a result which never seemed likely. With no further scores both teams missed the cut, news which was greeted with wild celebrations by Buriram's fans in Seoul.
In Group F, Thai Premier League champions SCG Muang Thong United, who had already been eliminated, lost 1-0 to Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Kirins got only one point from six games in their first appearance in the group stage of Asia's premier club competition. BANGKOK POST/AFP
RESULTS
GROUP E
At Seoul: FC Seoul (KOR) 2 (Jung Seung-Yong 54, Kim Hyun-Sung 74) Buriram United (THA) 2 (Ekkachai Samre 56, Theerathon Bunmathan 75)
At Sendai: Vegalta Sendai (JPN) 1 (Naoki Sugai 24) Jiangsu Sainty (CHN) 2 (Liu Jianye 38, Hamdi Salihi 62)
STANDINGS!
P!W!D!L!GF!GA!Pts!
FC Seoul! 6! 3! 2! 1! 11! 5!11!
Buriram! 6! 1!4!1! 6!6! 7!
Jiangsu Sainty! 6!2!1! 3!5!10! 7 !
Vegalta Sendai! 6! 1! 3! 2! 5! 6! 6!
GROUP F
At Guangzhou: Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) 0 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) 0
At Nonthaburi: Muang Thong United (THA) 0 Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 1 (Daisuke Nasu 47)
STANDINGS!
P!W!D!L!GF!GA!Pts!
Guangzhou! 6!3! 2! 1!14!5! 11!
Jeonbuk! 6! 2! 4! 0!10! 6!10 !
Urawa!6!3! 1!2! 11! 11! 10!
Muang Thong! 6! 0! 1! 5! 4! 17! 1!