Futera United 5-2 Saraburi United

Sun 16 Nov 2025, 15:30 – T3 (Bangkok Univ. Rangsit Stadium)

Futera United stepped onto the pitch carrying heavy hearts after receiving the tragic news that Aon’s father had passed away while travelling to the match. In an astonishing show of courage, Aon asked to be allowed to play, insisting he wanted to honour his father by helping his teammates. In moments like these, football pales into insignificance - yet what followed was a performance full of heart, unity, and resilience, culminating in Futera’s first-ever win in professional football.

A bizarre game featuring three red cards, seven goals, and numerous strikes against the woodwork saw Futera claim a remarkable 5–2 victory, lifting them above Saraburi and injecting fresh hope into their battle for survival.

The mayhem began in the second minute when Pong’s long ball over the top sent Kao through on goal. The Saraburi goalkeeper rushed out of his area and handled Kao’s attempted lob, leaving the referee with no option but to show a red card. Incredibly, Saraburi had no back-up goalkeeper on the bench and were forced to put their experienced centre-back and skipper between the posts.

After a ten-minute delay, Pong stepped up to fire in a low, powerful strike that bounced awkwardly in front of the makeshift keeper, who failed to hold it. The rebound fell kindly for the grateful Heng, who swept home his second goal of the season, giving the home side the perfect start.

A minute later, a stinging long-range effort from Pong was tipped onto the top of the crossbar by the Saraburi stand-in keeper. From Ball’s resulting corner, Bas was left unmarked at the far post and, although his downward header was well saved, he reacted quickest to crash the rebound home and make it 2–0.

Despite their numerical advantage, Futera were thankful to Film, who produced three outstanding saves to keep the two-goal lead intact. More drama followed on the half-hour mark when, after a coming together between Ball and the Saraburi right-winger, Pong and the Saraburi number fifteen became embroiled in a needless handbags incident, resulting in both players being shown straight red cards.

With an incredible twelve minutes of added time, Futera extended their lead when Heng burst through the middle before laying the ball off to Drew, who finished with a sweet left-footed strike that nestled in the bottom corner, making the half-time score 3–0.

Five minutes into the second half, Futera pushed further ahead when substitute Pup’s direct run caused panic in the Saraburi defence. His neat pass found Heng, whose shot struck the post, with the rebound falling kindly to Dew, who hammered home to complete his brace. Futera continued to threaten, with Pup’s delightful curling effort clipping the post and Aon’s long-range strike tipped onto the crossbar by the overworked Saraburi keeper.

In the 66th minute, Pup made it 5–0. Latching onto Aon’s clever through ball, the young winger’s electric pace left the Saraburi defence floundering before he finished with aplomb, bending a neat curling effort into the bottom corner. Credit to nine-man Saraburi, who kept pushing and hit the woodwork twice themselves.

With five minutes remaining, Dew had a gilt-edged chance to complete his hat-trick after some excellent work from left-back Bas, but the young striker’s effort was straight at the covering defender with the goal at his mercy. With Futera pushing for more goals, a lapse in concentration allowed the Saraburi number nine a clear run on goal, and he finished calmly. Minutes later, another mix-up in the Futera defence saw the same player fire home again to make the final score 5–2 in an incredible game. A huge relief for everyone involved with Futera, as the club finally secured their first win in professional football, a result that should give the team enormous confidence going forward. In a crazy game, young Drew shone brightly, while the tireless Heng delivered another outstanding performance. Midfield remains a concern, as we still look short of the required quality at this level. Bas produced a solid second-half display at left-back, while Tsubasa’s showing in the first half made it clear that he is not a natural full-back.

With the mid-season break approaching, it is imperative that we bring in some new, quality players. Likewise, some departures will be necessary, as a few squad members are clearly not up to the required standard. A huge three points lifts Futera above Saraburi, and we now head into the second half of the season full of optimism.

Above all, the thoughts of everyone at Futera United remain with Aon and his family during this heartbreaking time. His bravery in choosing to play will be remembered as one of the most courageous acts ever seen in a Futera shirt.