Maybe it’s because there was nothing to play for (except pride of course). This was free-flowing football, with plenty of chances at both ends and nice saves from both ‘keepers. A pleasure to watch, all the more so because of the final score line.

But sadly, there weren’t many people there to enjoy the spectacle, the prospect of a meaningless Wednesday night clash a week not proving tantalising enough for many Victory fans.

Shame, cause there was plenty of drama in this game:

• Kevin Muscat, screwing up to give Ney Fabiano an easy chance to put Chonburi FC ahead, then redeeming himself by scoring the equaliser a couple minutes later.
• Ney Fabiano, scoring a goal and later picking up a yellow card, giving rise to a chorus of cheers and jeers from the crowd. If the rumours are true and he does sign for us, he’s certainly started off on the wrong foot with the local support.
• Archie Thompson, replacing Tom Pondeljak with half an hour left to go, promptly putting Melbourne ahead and then sealing the deal by laying up for Carlos Hernández’ goal.
• Rodrigo Vargas’ goal, disallowed. Why exactly?

For those of you who missed the game, here’s the highlights:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_-4BUxCAPw[/youtube]

Meanwhile, congratulations to Adelaide United who tonight managed to qualify for the next stage of the Asian Champions League.

But does anyone really care?

Ernie Merrick has been in Central America on a scouting mission, returning today to coach his team tomorrow. Gary Cole may argue that Merrick’s trip would have gone ahead if Melbourne had had anything at stake in its final ACL match, but I find that very hard to believe. Tomorrow is effectively a friendly, and the club is treating it as such.

Except, of course, that they weren’t keen to release Leigh Broxham, Billy Celeski and Nick Ward to play for Graham Arnold in the Olyroos’ Intercontinental Cup campaign. Michael Lynch wrote a rather condemning piece about that issue earlier this week. But before you string up Victory management, consider Arnold’s lack of effort at getting the trio. He could have had them if he’d wanted.

Anyway, all that aside…

Archie Thompson may return tomorrow, his first appearance since picking up an injury in the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier against China in March. Thompson has plenty of motivation to accelerate his recovery, as he faces the prospect of lining up against Juventus next week, and the possibility of more World Cup qualifiers in a couple weeks.

Carlos Hernández shone in his short stint against the Chunnam Dragons, and this game gives him another chance to get up his match fitness. Leigh Broxham’s back after serving his one-match suspension. And Mitchell Langerak will have his second start in a competitive (sort of) match for the Victory.

This will be the last competitive (sort of) match in Victory colours for Adrian Caceres and Daniel Piorkowski. It may also be the final game for Chonburi’s Ney Fabiano, who is set to sign with Melbourne after the match, according to the latest reports from Thailand.

This dead rubber match on a Wednesday night in the middle of AFL season will be an interesting gauge of football’s popularity in Melbourne. A sizeable dip in crowd numbers is to be expected, and 20,000 would be tough to crack. But this will provide a good indication of the resilience of Victory supporters.

For what it’s worth, here’s my tip: Melbourne 3, Chonburi 2

Your tip?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8×8Eb3l4Pzg[/youtube]

Chunnam Dragons 3, Gamba Osaka 4

Part 1/5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CVKwpP-w9Y[/youtube]

Part 2/5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cpXG_JQt34[/youtube]

Part 3/5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k-ScgRGDY4[/youtube]

Part 4/5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVed07kt-eU[/youtube]

Part 5/5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdVTuf6MgXk[/youtube]

Chonburi FC wreaked havoc on the Melbourne Victory last night, trumping the Aussies with a 3-1 victory that put them at the top of Group G.

While Melbourne’s performance against the Chunnam Dragons mirrored the type of football they were playing towards the end of the A-League season, last night regurgitated memories of the first half of the season: long balls, wasted chances, poor passes. It was painful to watch the Victory slip into its old ways.

The first half was a much more open affair than their match with Gamba Osaka had been, with the Thai champions pressing the Melbourne defence. Ney Fabiano, the Brazilian, was instrumental in the home side’s final third, cutting through Melbourne defenders with incisive runs and dangerous crosses. But it was poor marking that granted Chonburi its first goal: a pinpoint cross from Arthit Sunthornpit drifted across to Fabiano, who, unmarked, caught Michael Theoklitos on the back foot.

Melbourne emerged from the break renewed. Vasilevski and Ryall, on for Pantelidis and Caceres, provided fresh legs. After 15 minutes of sustained pressure, the Victory finally managed to get one back, Danny Allsopp getting a foot to Matthew Kemp’s excellent pass.

With the score leveled, Melbourne had momentum on its side. But the goal would not come. Chonburi stacked their defense, and just like Gamba Osaka the week before, the Victory couldn’t crack through. While most of the game was played in the Chonburi half, Melbourne struggled to be effective. Kemp posed the greatest threat to Chonburi, moving with speed down the left flank.

Chonburi FC coach Annop Singtotong played his cards well, bringing on Cameroonian Stephane Baga for Pipop On-Mo, a straight striker for striker swap. Ten minutes later, Gamba drifted into space and unleashed a shot from 30 metres out that left Theoklitos and Melbourne fans stunned.

What followed was fifteen minutes of frustration. Chonburi’s Arthit Sunthornpit was sent off for time wasting – a red card I don’t think the referee intended to give. But even against ten men, Melbourne just couldn’t break through. Five minutes of extra time wasn’t enough for Melbourne to get a goal back – but it was enough for Baga to put another past Theoklitos. Melbourne defeated.

Gamba Osaka’s 4-3 win over the Chunnam Dragons (in Korea) means that Chonburi FC are now at the top of Group G, edging the Japanese team out on goal difference. After starting the competition so promisingly last week, Melbourne trails by a point. With four games left to go, anything is possible – but the Victory’s upcoming home match against Gamba Osaka is critical.

Meanwhile, Adelaide United drew against Changchun Yatai, keeping them at the top of their group.

Both teams enter the match on the back of a good result: Melbourne downed the Chunnam Dragons with a clinical 2 – 0 win, while Chonburi FC came away with a point from their match with Gamba Osaka. Both will take confidence from their performance, but last week’s results will also make them wary of this week’s opponent.

Melbourne’s performance last Wednesday was impressive to say the least. I’m sure I wasn’t the only fan afraid the Victory wouldn’t hit its stride, but they certainly did. Their flowing, attacking football created many problems for the Dragons, exposing a flawed defence again and again. While Melbourne was lucky to avoid giving away a penalty, it deserved to win.

Chonburi FC was at once lucky and unlucky to end up with a draw against Gamba Osaka. Pitted against a much-favoured side, Chonburi played a tight defensive game, warding off Gamba with tenacity and no small measure of luck. Against the flow of play, they picked up a goal. But Gamba was finally rewarded for its efforts, with Brazilian striker Lucas drawing the hosts level in the 94th minute. Ultimately, a draw was a good result for Chonburi, but the Thai champions could feel unlucky to have let through a goal in the dying moments of the match.

The Victory’s performance seems to have caused some concern for Chonburi. Thai officials earlier this week tried to make life tough for Melbourne, attempting to get Melbourne to train in the middle of the day – instead of at 10am. Rather sad, but it does suggest that Chonburi are worried.

Will Chonburi opt for a defensive posture, as they did against Gamba Osaka? At home, playing in conditions familiar to them, but stifling to the Victory, Chonburi may approach this match with a more attacking mindset. Let’s not forget that this is a team that can win games. It won the 2007 Thai Premier League with an impressive margin, and is off to a promising start for the 2008 League.

The Victory needs to closely watch Chonburi’s number 12, the Brazilian Ney “Farbiano” De Oliveira, who engineered Chonburi’s goal last week. Caught on the counter, Gamba’s defenders were outplayed by Farbiano. Rodrigo Vargas and Kevin Muscat, take note. Pipop On-Mo, the captain, is another striker to watch: he is considered one of Thailand’s finest talents.

At the other end of the park, Melbourne has to do what Gamba could not: score. Gamba sprayed balls centimetres wide or high, or had them stopped by Chonburi keeper Sujin Nakayom. Victory will need clinical finishing. The Chunnam Dragons gave Melbourne room to move; don’t expect the same from Chonburi FC.

If Melbourne can break through early and take the lead, Chonburi will be in deep trouble. They were fortunate to take the lead against Gamba, a one-goal barrier allowing them to do nothing but defend. If they go down a goal, they will have to emerge from their defensive cocoon. If that happens, I think Melbourne will be able to put a few more in.

My tip: Chonburi FC 1, Melbourne Victory 3

Your tip?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APZrK2BDRvA[/youtube]

Gamba Osaka vs. Chonburi FC, 1 – 1

Part 1: First half

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwcjoV9xpi0[/youtube]

Part 2: Start of 2nd half, Chonburi FC goal

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APM2CzOc5VY[/youtube]

Part 3: Remainder of 2nd half except final minute

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myI2wxiEfZQ[/youtube]

Part 4: Gamba Osaka goal & post-match interviews (in Japanese)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeA33ty-PIo[/youtube]

Location: Chonburi, Thailand
Stadium: Suphachalasai Stadium, 35 000 (switched there from Chonburi Municipality Stadium, due to the latter’s small size and lack of floodlights)
Coach: Annop Singtotong

It’s hard to find much about Chonburi FC. Other than a fairly useful Wikipedia article, there is really quite little to go on about the Thai champions.

Which makes them a difficult team to write a preview about. So without pretending to know much, here’s what we can glean about Chonburi FC:

Their rise to the top of Thai football has been rapid. 2007 was only their second year in the Thai Premier League. After finishing 8th the previous year, they emerged as clear champions at the end of 2007, at the top of the ladder with a 9 point lead.

In the world of Thai football, Chonburi FC are the team to beat at the moment.

But in the wider sphere of Asian football, how will they hold up? Thai teams have traditionally not fared well in the Asian Champions League. A few years ago, after seeing Thai and Vietnamese teams perform substantially below the competition par, the AFC decided to limit the number of representatives from both countries to just one.

The last time a Thai team did well in the Asian realm was in 1994 and 1995, when Thai Farmers Bank FC won the Asian Club Championship over 2 consecutive years). Since the Asian Club Championship was renamed the AFC Champions League in 2002-03, only one Thai team has made it past the group stage.

I agree wholeheartedly with Brenton’s comment that our Asian opponents should be “approached with caution”. Arrogance won’t win games, as we saw in the Asian Cup.

So I say this with some hesitation: I would be surprised if we don’t beat Chonburi FC. Aaron Healy, who recently had the chance to watch Chonburi in action, agree: he thinks our games with Chonburi will be “quite winnable“.

But they are something of a dark horse. Gary Cole says there are technically “good and very quick”, and they will be coming into the Asian Champions League as an underdog. So while I still think we will beat them, I also hope we don’t take a win for granted.