Game On.....It's game on in Klong Toei, the top TPL this weekend and the 'rabbits' need to be careful coming into the lion's den.
I check carefully the weather forecast; there's been so much rain about in Bangkok this last week and the prospects of a dry evening don't look great. Nevertheless, suitably equipped, I decide to head for PAT Stadium. Still smarting from failing to get tickets for the Buriram game, this could be a repeat and I should be thinking of arriving at least 3 hours before the game but compromise with my partner is never far away and there is less than 2 hours before KO when we arrive. That produces the obvious result: It's sold out again. However, Katoon redeems here self albeit having to pay more from a tout. As bad as this seems, she's paid only 150 baht instead of 120.
The next obstacle is finding some food and dealing with the huge crowd gathered here. The smart move now is to find a seat in the stadium while we can. As far as the weather is concerned, there has been light rain on and off on the way here but nothing heavy has appeared yet. It's now a question of waiting till kick-off and the inevitable scramble for seats. On that score there has been some miscalculation with more people than seats which leads to supporters packed into gangways and stairs. Never have I been so close and cozy in a stadium before. Now I know what sardines feel like!
Port FC lay 2nd in the TPL table and took a point of Buriram in the rain effected fixture I missed a while back. BG Pathum however have suffered a couple of recent losses with a less than a happy supporter's club taking aim at the owners after finding themselves sixth in the table, poor by their standards. For my part, I've been to both team's stadiums a number of times and have supported the home team on these occasions. Today I will do so again as I want Port to keep pressure on Buriram, the seemingly unstoppable force for perpetuity.
Kick-Off....The game kicks off at 7.00pm as light drizzle begins to fall and immediately you feel both teams are going for it; there will be no cagey stuff here. In the early stages it seems that Port are the more consistent, making the running and putting BG under pressure but on 15 minutes, Freddy Álvarez pops up with delightful goal for BG. A long cross to the left wing finds Chanathip Songkrasin unmarked. He has time to pick a pass to Costa Rican Freddy Álvarez in front of goal who manages to get his shot away. From the edge of the penalty area it seems an unlikely angle but the low drive is inch perfect, creeping inside the far post. That was not in the script and the away fans go crazy. Now can the lions roar back? There is plenty of life in them as they pressure to BG goal forcing good saves from the BG keeper and shots just off target including one back off the upright. Still at half-time they have nothing to show for it as the visitors lead.
Into the second half the lions continue where they left off and in the 54th minute think they have the equaliser after a scramble in the goalmouth but VAR overturns the on pitch decision as the ball hadn't completely crossed the line, being hacked away by a BG defender. It seems cruel on Port after so much hard work but things get worse for them. Hardly had the game restarted than they find themselves 2 : 0 down. BG win a corner kick which is whipped in from the left. In a crowded penally box Waris Choolthong gets a head to the ball nodding it down into danger and there waiting is Chanathip Songkrasin whose having a blinder. He smashes the ball into the roof of the net from close range. How a game can change!
The final phase of the game sees Port trying to get something from this game but BG have the lead and a strong defensive line. It won't be easy. BG are now sitting back hoping for the counter. Their man marking is top-drawer for this stage in the game. Port are up against a brick wall. The game reaches full time and Port supporters start drifting away much to the annoyance of those of us who want to see the game out. Then frustration as those idiots blocking my view prevent me seeing a Port goal in into 2 minutes of added time. A neat interchange on the left allows international Kevin Deeromram put in a teasing low cross into the box. This time there is a player waiting on the right. Brazilian Willen Mota Inácio makes no mistake in beating the BG keeper but there are just minutes left and the 'rabbits' have escaped. This is a great result for BG who had faced criticism for recent defeats. However, Port must be frustrated having had 66% ball possession and well ahead in passes and total shots, 22 for one goal. BG had 4 shots for 2 goals.
The fallout from this game is that Port stay 2nd in the table while BG move up to 4th. The real winners though are Buriram who thump Prachuap 6 : 0 to move 5 points clear. Already so early in the season it's become a battle for second place yet again.
Goodbye!....So my report ends and Port will have a postmortum but I have a postmortum of my own. Whenever I've watched Port FC live and on TV they do love to score goals and entertain but today has demonstrated their Achilles heal as far as I'm concerned. PAT stadium is just too small to host big games. We got away with it today regarding tickets, but we find it most frustrating to have to pay almost as much in road tolls as for tickets. Also parking is a nightmare in Khlong Toei: It takes around 50% of the time to get back to the car than it takes using the tollway to get back home. At least we have agreement today that while we wish Port well, we have to say Goodbye!

Source: Visit