ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ title holders Buriram United FC were denied victory in the AFC Champions League Elite as Mark Jackson’s side drew 2-2 with Gangwon FC from Korea Republic.
Mo Jae-hyeon gave the visitors the lead in the 33rd minute at Buriram Stadium but a header from Ko Myeong-seok levelled the scores in the 58th minute and Suphanat Mueanta gave his side the lead with an angled finish seven minutes later.
But Guilherme Bissoli conceded a penalty that Kim Dae-won converted 16 minutes from time to see the points shared, leaving Buriram United on eight points and in seventh position in the 12-team eastern league phase standings after six rounds.
The Thai League 1 champions are one place behind Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, who also have eight points, following their 0-0 draw with Chinese Super League champions Shanghai Port FC.
Xisco Muñoz’s side dominated throughout the clash at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium but Shanghai Port goalkeeper Chen Wei repeatedly frustrated the JDT attack, who had 48 attempts on goal without finding a way through.
Both JDT and Buriram United are on track to advance to the knockout rounds of the competition, which will be played in March. The first eight finishers progress to the last 16 from east Asia.
In the AFC Champions League Two, Bangkok United FC confirmed their place in the next phase of the competition as runners-up in Group G despite losing 1-0 to Persib Bandung from Indonesia.
That result meant Singapore’s Lion City Sailors FC, who reached last season’s final, were eliminated due to their inferior head-to-head record with Bangkok United even though Aleksandar Ranković’s team secured a 1-0 win over Selangor FC.
Tampines Rovers FC confirmed themselves as winners of Group H with a 2-0 win over BG Pathum United FC while Công An Hà Nội FC took second place in Group E following their 1-0 loss to Hong Kong’s Tai Po FC.
There was heartbreak for Nam Định FC in Group F, who crashed out of the competition despite handing Hong Kong Premier League side Eastern FC a 9-0 thrashing.
Brenner scored a hat-trick in a dominant display by the V.League 1 champions but the scoreline was not enough for Nam Định to overhaul Ratchaburi FC, the Thai side taking second in the standings despite their 2-0 loss against already-qualified Gamba Osaka.
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