Goalkeeper Chatchai Bootprom earns Asean title for Buriram United in shootout
Goalie Chatchai Bootprom saved three penalties to help Buriram United win the Asean Club Championship. PHOTOS: FACEBOOK/BURIRAM UNITED
BURIRAM, Thailand - Chatchai Bootprom saved three penalties as Buriram United defeated Vietnam's Cong An Ha Noi 3-2 in a shootout to win the Asean Club Championship title on May 21 after a 3-3 draw in the second leg saw the tie end 5-5 on aggregate.
The 38-year-old goalkeeper kept out spot-kicks from Jason Pendant Quang Vinh, Hugo Gomes and Bui Hoang Viet Anh to earn Osmar Loss' Thai League 1 champions victory in an eventful clash in front of their own fans.
"I have never had as dramatic an experience as this in all my career," said Chatchai.
"I feel very good because we won this trophy. We wanted to win this trophy because we wanted to be the number one in Asean."
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Hanoi last week, Pendant put the visitors in front in the 15th minute when Nguyen Quang Hai played him in behind the Buriram defence, and the fullback calmly bided his time before shooting beyond Chatchai.
Cong An Ha Noi doubled their advantage from the penalty spot with six minutes left in the half, Leo Artur converting after referee Koji Takasaki awarded a penalty following a clash between Buriram United's Peter Zulj and Gomes.
Zulj made amends seven minutes from time when his shot on the turn found the bottom corner of Filip Nguyen's goal to give the home side hope.
Lucas Crispim then unleashed a thunderous free kick from 30 yards out with the last kick of regulation time to take proceedings into extra time, the Brazilian crashing his right-foot effort off the underside of the bar to beat Nguyen.
Crispim was the instigator of Buriram United's third, the winger embarking on a driving run towards the penalty area that ended with Giap Tuan Duong handling his cross and Guilherme Bissoli converted from the penalty spot in the 105th minute.
However, Cong An Ha Noi's Alan Grafite headed in Quang Hani's corner in the 118th minute to take the game to penalties, where Chatchai's heroics secured the win. REUTERS
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