Perfect Day for Bangkok Glass

Traditionally one of Thailand's biggest teams, Bangkok Glass have had an abysmal campaign by their lofty standards, and find themselves on the wrong end of the table with just under a third of the season left to play. A meeting with Muangthong United ahead of consecutive relegation six-pointers against Sukhothai and Police Tero presented the ideal chance to turn the season around, but it could also spell disaster for the capital club.

The importance of this game to both teams was clearly visible by their respective lineups and approaches to this game. Bangkok Glass opted to shift defensive midfielder Tanaboon Kesarat into a centre-back position in what appeared to be a five-man defence, a clear indication that this was a game they could not afford to lose.

Both sets of boisterous fans urged their team on to break the deadlock. A close-range header from striker Ariel Rodriguez presented the best chance for the home side to take the lead, but he was unable to convert from the edge of the six-yard box, summing up Bangkok Glass’ woes this season. Just as the sense of uneasiness that has defined their campaign this season began to set in, visitors Muangthong hit the front against the run of play, with Brazilian striker Jaja Coelho netting for the Kirin.

In response, the Rabbits' coach Anurak Srikerd attempted to shuffle the pack, calling off right wing-back Apisit Sorada for attacker Chatree Chimtalay, as the feeling of desperation shifted from the away bench to the home one. Yet more squandered chances soon followed, and the sense of agony and disbelief among the home crowd was becoming palpable.

Bangkok Glass eventually got their deserved equalizer when David Carlos Bala managed to slide the ball into the back of the net following yet another goalmouth scramble, with the spell of poor luck finally turning in favour of the home side.

Despite being in the lead, a major altercation seemed to be occurring on the Muangthong bench, with Curcic unable to convey a particular message to his players as he growled with frustration while holding up three fingers. He eventually resigned to sitting down to exchange a few harsh words with an assistant, leaving coach Santi Chaiyaphuak to do the shouting on his behalf before quickly getting bored of his new position and returning to prowl the touchline.

Coach Radovan Curcic has been unimpressed by Muangthong's recent results

The hosts continued to force the issue as they went in search of a second goal, which eventually came when the defense froze in the face of a stellar run from Anon Amornlerdsak, who managed to put the ball across for Daniel “Toti” Garcia to find the top corner, giving the relegation-threatened side a major glimmer of hope for the home stretch of the season.

Muangthong were left dumbfounded by the speedy turnaround and were offered just a matter of minutes to turn the game on its head. With time against them, panic began to set in as a bold and brash attacking setup left them exposed for a sucker punch, which came in the form of David’s second goal of the game, effectively sealing the deal for the home side.

As a full Leo Stadium rejoiced to celebrate their impressive victory over the four-time Thai League Champions, news filtering in from other grounds across the Thai League gave them even more cause for optimism.

Tero's 1-0 loss away at the PAT Stadium means that they fall into the relegation zone, as do Sukhothai with their defeat by the same scoreline to Ubon UMT, leaving both sides level on points with Bangkok Glass.

The Rabbits climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference for the first time in April, putting in one of the best performances of their campaign thus far and accruing possibly the most memorable result.