Chamchuri United 2-1 Futera United

Sat 4 Oct 2025, 15:30 – T3 (Chulalongkorn Univ. Stadium)

A much-improved performance from Futera United ultimately saw them succumb 2–1 to Chamchuri United on a quagmire of a pitch, which turned much of the game into a farce and left the league newcomers still searching for their first points.

A torrential downpour in Bangkok for several hours had left much of the Thephasadin Stadium under water as the game kicked off, with Futera reverting to their tried-and-trusted 4-3-3 formation. Beale and Bas returned after illness, while Kao made his first start of the season on the left flank.

The atrocious conditions played a major part in the first opening of the game. A hopeful long punt from Chamchuri looked to be running through to Film, but the ball held up in the water, allowing the home side’s striker to shoot from 35 yards, evading the keeper but going narrowly wide. Futera stormed back, and the impressive Kao, a constant threat all afternoon, unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the box that seemed destined for the top corner, only for the Chamchuri keeper to produce a superb save to keep the scores level.

After Film had pulled off a fine one-handed save, the home side broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A cross from the left flank saw Fiw get himself into a tangle, and his attempted headed clearance from the ground fell straight to the feet of a Chamchuri midfielder, whose first-time shot was blocked by the Futera defender’s arm. From the resulting penalty, Film made an excellent save, diving to his left to push the ball away. He then saved the follow-up effort but was desperately unlucky as the home side finally bundled the ball into the net at the third attempt.

Far from being despondent, Futera stormed back, forcing the home side to defend deep. On the half-hour mark, John drove at the Chamchuri defence, and his angled shot from the left flank thundered off the crossbar, with Drew just unable to pounce on the rebound. Remarkably, from that same attack, Chamchuri scrambled the ball clear and launched a quick counter, leaving a three-against-three situation for the Futera back line. A neat ball over the top of a static defence broke the offside trap, allowing the Chamchuri striker to double their lead with a composed finish past the onrushing Film.

Five minutes before half-time, Futera’s efforts were rewarded. From a corner, Chamchuri only half-cleared the ball to Net on the edge of the area, and the left-back’s thunderous drive was diverted into the net by Kao for his first goal of the season, reducing the arrears. The referee soon blew for half-time on what, despite the appalling conditions, had been a highly entertaining contest, with the home side holding a narrow 2–1 lead.

Futera came out for the second half full of confidence, forcing the home side back into their own half. Controversy struck in the 61st minute when a ball over the top sent Ball through on goal. The Chamchuri keeper raced out recklessly, flying into the challenge with both feet raised and studs showing. The loose ball fell to Kao, who slid in John, and as the striker prepared to pull the trigger he was clearly brought down by a desperate home defender. Unbelievably, the referee waved play on, taking no action against the out-of-control keeper either.

Angered by the injustice of those decisions, Futera continued to press. Power and Fiw both had chances to equalise but lacked composure at the crucial moment. A weak shot from Aon proved Futera’s final real opportunity, and after four minutes of added time, the referee blew the final whistle, much to the relief of the home side.

Although another defeat leaves us rooted to the bottom of the table, I have to say we were incredibly unlucky not to come away with something. To a man, the team were magnificent, and their effort cannot be faulted. We just need a bit of luck to get that first result on the board, and I’m confident that once it comes, we’ll go on a winning run.

With credit to both teams for playing in such treacherous conditions, the same cannot be said of the officiating. Once again, we were robbed by inept refereeing. How the incident involving John was not given as a penalty, and how the Chamchuri keeper was not sent off ,utterly bewilders me. That said, I don’t believe there’s any agenda against Futera; I just think the referees and linesmen are simply not up to standard.

How the game was actually allowed to go ahead was astonishing. I understand that BYD pay good money for these fixtures to be shown live, but the match was ruined by the state of the pitch. We also have to think about player welfare, do we really need to wait for someone to sustain a serious injury before games like this are called off?

Heads up,  we go again next week, with our first points surely just around the corner. The team is clearly good enough to compete; we just need one of these incompetent refereeing decisions to finally go in our favour. Futera SuSu!