Buriram United showed their worth as one of Southeast Asia’s strongest teams as the Thunder Castles delivered a dominant performance on Thursday, securing a convincing 4-0 victory over Borneo FC Samarinda in the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship, propelling the Thai champions to second place in the Group B standings.
Lucas Crispim broke the deadlock in the 25th minute at the Chang Arena, followed quickly by a second goal from Guilherme Bissoli just two minutes later. Marcelo Djalo added a third right before halftime, setting the tone for the hosts. The scoring was completed late in the game when Rattanakorn Maikami netted in the 85th minute, extending Buriram’s lead to three points over their Indonesian counterparts.
Buriram began on the front foot, creating their first opportunity just two minutes into the match. Curtis Good spotted Supachai Chaided making a run down the left, and the striker delivered a cross for Bissoli, whose header was comfortably saved by Borneo goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata. Midway through the first half, Nadeo was called into action again, this time denying Supachai’s header following a cross from Narubadin Weerawatnodom. However, Buriram’s relentless pressure soon paid off.
In the 25th minute, Theerathon Bunmathan threaded a perfect pass to Narubadin on the right, whose first-time cross was expertly finished by Crispim from close range, marking his fourth goal of the tournament.
Moments later, Buriram struck again. A precision free-kick over the defense from Theerathon found Bissoli, who controlled the ball deftly, evaded two defenders, and calmly slotted it past Nadeo to double the lead.
Crispim nearly added another in the 39th minute when he latched onto a pass from Bissoli, but his low shot from inside the box struck the outside of the post. However, Buriram didn’t have to wait long for their third goal. In first-half stoppage time, Filipino international Jefferson Tabinas exchanged a clever one-two with Bissoli, ran onto the Brazilian’s scooped pass, and cut the ball back from the byline for Djalo, who smashed it home from 16 yards out to ensure that Borneo would have a mountain of a task to climb in the second half.
The second half saw Buriram continue to dominate. Tabinas, a constant threat down the left flank, burst into the box and saw his deflected shot narrowly miss the target. Supachai’s powerful header, tipped over by Nadeo, and a shot from Narubadin that just missed the post kept the pressure on Borneo’s defense, making it feel inevitable that Buriram would extend their lead.
As the game approached its conclusion, substitute Leon James tested Nadeo with a side-footed effort from the edge of the area in the 84th minute. Just two minutes later, the fourth goal arrived. Tabinas, once again instrumental, made an impressive run down the left to meet Seksan Ratree’s through ball. He squared it perfectly for Rattanakorn, who applied the finishing touch to cap off Buriram’s emphatic victory.
The result sees Buriram climb to six points from three matches, while Borneo suffered their second consecutive defeat following a win in their opening game back in August. Next, Buriram will travel to Singapore to face Lion City Sailors on January 23, while Borneo will host Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines in Indonesia on the same day.