Home suffer electric shock

Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com

Home United blew their chance to move to top spot in Group H of the AFC Cup group stage when they fell 1-2 to Thai side Provincial Electric Authority in Bangkok.

The Protectors had moved in front midway into the first half, when midfielder Shi Jiayi’s shot from outside the box went into the PEA net off Rangsan Vivatchaichok’s back.

But the Electric Men, playing in front of their own fans at Supachalasai Stadium, piled on the pressure in the second half, and drew level on 57 minutes when Narongchai Vachiraban fired home a free kick from 20 yards.

Supakit Jinajai then completed the Thai side’s turnaround, slamming a powerful finish past Lionel Lewis to win the points and consolidate their position as group leaders.

PEA, still smarting from their defeat by SAFFC in the AFC Champions League playoffs four weeks back, fielded a starting eleven that featured four changes from the one that had taken to the field against Home’s domestic archrivals.

The Protectors meanwhile welcomed Valery Hiek back into the defence after he had sat out of the team’s victory over Becamex Binh Duong last week, and room was made for the Cameroonian as PN Sivaji went for five men at the back.

Home’s increased numbers in the rearguard did little to compromise their attacking intentions early on, as they fashioned several decent opportunities in the first 15 minutes.

Juma’at Jantan, scorer of his team’s first goal against Binh Duong, should have done better than to cross wildly on nine minutes with only one man in the box, and Kengne Ludovick came close shortly afterwards when his left-footer veered shy of the near post.

PEA did warn that they were not about to sit back and defend, and Apipoo Suntornpanavej almost continued his streak of scoring against Singaporean club sides on 20 minutes when he made bad contact with a Srinarong Satrupai cross.

Four minutes later, though, the visitors broke the deadlock. A good slip pass by Itimi Dickson found Shi in the middle with his back towards goal, and he turned and fashioned a kick that looked like a hopeful shot at best.

Unfortunately for Rangsan, the ball took a decisive deflection off him and found its way to the bottom left corner, as PEA custodian Umarin Yaodam could do nothing apart from making a dumbfounded stare.

It could have been 2-0 just minutes afterwards when Shi and Itimi tried to exchange roles, but the Shanghai-born midfielder’s long pass from inside the area proved just a touch too long for the winger to chase down as he outdid Rangsan but not Umarin.

As Home spurned opportunities to add to their lead, their hosts started to press forward in response, and Lewis was let off when Richard Falcao contrived to misdirect a free header from a cross two minutes before the break.

Narongchai then served warning of his ability from dead-ball situations, when he sent a 25-yard free kick onto the roof of the net.

Sivaji’s men should have smelled the danger, but then the reigning Thai Premier League champions did not wait to ramp up the pressure once the second half started.

Yutthajak Konjan fired a powerful shot from 35 yards that hit the upright on the way out three minutes from the restart, and even centreback Henri Joel Kouakou got involved when he headed an Apipoo corner high with no one preventing his run.

Home’s resistance broke down on 57 minutes, when S. Subramani was adjudged to have fouled Narongchai outside the area and the 28-year-old converted the free kick himself.

Eight minutes later, the comeback was complete when overlapping rightback Apichet Puttan played a short pass through to Supakit, who blasted past Lewis before any Home defenders could close him down.

PEA now looked confident, and far from sitting back and relaxing, they seemed intent to make Home pay for what SAFFC had done weeks before at Rajamangala Stadium.

It may be a different field and a different opponent now, but Thongsuk Sampahangsit’s men could not possibly care less as they kept on exerting pressure and creating chances.

Narongchai had a powerful shot blocked and Kouakou had another failed headed attempt, and for a time it seemed to the Home defence there was no letting up.

The Protectors did slip in a couple of chances in-between, but Ludovick was disappointing in his lone striker role as his usual predatory sharpness was absent.

Lewis even committed a potentially embarrassing blooper when he picked up Subramani’s backpass with his hands four minutes from time, but the ensuing indirect free kick inside the penalty area was charged down by the goalkeeper himself.

But the national custodian’s save was not enough to salvage a share of the points for Home, who now slip to third behind Binh Duong on goal difference.

Sivaji admits to ‘poor’ game

Home United coach PN Sivaji described his team’s performance in their 1-2 loss to AFC Cup opponents Provincial Electric Authority as ‘disappointing’ – although he stressed it will not prompt any revisions to their overall qualification strategy.

The result at Supachalasai Stadium means the Protectors now sit third in Group H, with only the top two sides in the group moving on into the knockout phase.

Identifying a lack of fluency in the team’s build-up play as the main cause of their downfall, Sivaji added that he was particularly dissatisfied with how things had panned out in the second half, when PEA scored twice to overturn the first-half deficit.

“The result is disappointing, no doubt, but so is the way we lost the game,” he told sleague.com after the match.

“There was a perfectly good pitch out there for us to play a good passing game, but we were poor in that aspect. Apart from a few patches, we had lots of hiccups in our build-up play, and that put our defence on the back foot.

“In the second half, especially, we lost the ball too easily. We gave away possession almost as quickly as we won it, and that put a lot of pressure on my defence.

“We need to sit down and analyze our performance in this game and the ones before. We may need to look into personnel, tactics or even other things.”

PEA’s victory over Home comes four weeks after they had been defeated in the AFC Champions League qualification playoffs by reigning S.League champions SAFFC.

The difference in outcomes could well invite comparisons between the two Singapore powerhouses, which would tilt heavily to the Protectors’ disadvantage.

Yet Sivaji gave no hint of worry as he reiterated his confidence in his side’s ability to chase glory on both domestic and continental fronts.

“Two games against the same opponent on two different days can turn out differently, what more two games against two different opponents,” remarked the 57-year-old.

“I have no problems with us being compared with SAFFC based on these games. SAFFC made it to where they are now on merit, having won the league and beaten PEA to reach the Champions League.

“I would like to think that we are able to pose a challenge in the AFC Cup, and I’m sure we will do the same in the S.League as well. So we are still focused on our objectives.

“While our opening results have not been as impressive as them, we’ve played all the top teams already and they’ve not played each other yet. When they face each other and things even out, I’m sure we can make up the ground.”

Provincial Electric Authority: Umarin Yaodam; Apichet Puttan, Henri Joel Kouakou, Patiparn Phetphun, Rangsan Vivatchaichok; Srinarong Satrupai (Supakit Jinajai 38’), Narongchai Vachiraban (Chaiwut Watthana 78’), Yutthajak Konjan, Apipoo Suntornpanavej; Richard Falcao (Ronnachai Rangsiyo 60’), Lamnao Singto.

Home United: Lionel Lewis; Rosman Sulaiman, Shahril Alias (Firdaus Idros 84’), S. Subramani, Valery Hiek, Juma’at Jantan; Itimi Dickson (Tengku Mushadad 69’), Shi Jiayi, Peres de Oliveira (Fadzuhasny Juraimi 79’), Shahril Ishak; Kengne Ludovick.