Beetles on verge of elimination

Beetles on verge of elimination

Chiang Rai United caretaker coach Alongkorn Thongaum said he was proud of his players although the Thai League 1 champions were thrashed 5-0 by South Korea's FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

With the result, Chiang Rai are on the brink of elimination in their first ACL appearance, while FC Seoul improve their chance of reaching the knockout stage.

In the other Group E game, China's Beijing FC defeated Melbourne Victory of Australia 3-1.

All matches in the East zone of the continental club championship are being played in a "bubble" in Qatar.

At Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Han Seung-Gyu opened the scoring for the Korean side after 20 minutes as Chiang Rai did well in the first half.

But it became a one-sided affair in the second half as Seoul scored four more goals through Jung Han-Min (54), Yun Ju-Tae (67 and 71) and Lee In-Gyu (90).

"We made many mistakes today, but we are proud of our players for doing their best," said Alongkorn.

"We had many shots, but only one was on target. The next game we will have our main striker [Bill Rosimar] back from suspension, so hopefully that will help us take some of our chances.

"We learned a lot today, we learned that we have to think quicker, be more compact and play as a group more."

Chiang Rai chief adviser Miti Tiyapairat apologised to their fans for the massive loss.

"I am hurt by the result," he said. "I hope our players have learned a lesson and use it to improve themselves. We will give our all in the remaining games."

Chiang Rai are still looking for their first ever point -- and also first ever goal -- in the AFC Champions League, having lost to Melbourne Victory and Beijing FC in their first two matches.

The Beetles will next meet Seoul again tomorrow.

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