Saturday 22nd March 2025 - 16:00pm Thailand / 09:00am GMT - TSP - VRU Stadium
Futera United recorded a second consecutive win as they maintained their unbeaten start to the 2025 Thailand Semi-Pro League with an excellent display in a comfortable 3-1 victory over Bangkapi.
Late withdrawals on the morning of the game meant that Futera had to shuffle the pack, with Arm and Sanook coming into the back four and SeaGame making his first competitive start since breaking his leg last season. Futera began confidently and could have gone ahead inside six minutes when Ninja latched onto a defensive mix-up to unleash a fierce shot from just outside the box, which the Bangkapi keeper did well to push out. With Beem and Phu a constant threat on either wing and Seagame’s intelligent passing, it seemed only a matter of time before the home team would capitalise on their dominance. Ninja went close twice, blazing over from eight yards before having a shot from an acute angle well saved after excellent work from Phu.
A physical Bangkapi offered little as an attacking threat, looking to go long at every opportunity, which Futera’s back four, marshaled by the outstanding Jew, easily dealt with. The home team finally broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark when Aon produced a moment of brilliance, weaving his way through the Bangkapi defence before his left-footed strike flew into the roof of the net to give Futera a well-deserved 1-0 lead. Futera continued to press and almost added a second on the stroke of half-time after a neat exchange between Ninja and SeaGame saw the ball flash across the Bangkapi goal before Ninja’s shot was well blocked by the away team’s desperate defenders. Moments later, the half-time whistle blew with Futera holding a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Futera’s neat build-up play looking to create openings, while Bangkapi persisted with long balls, attempting to use their physicality to out muscle the youthful home side. As the game wore on, Ninja began to influence proceedings more and more with excellent hold-up play and some sublime through balls. With Futera in control of their 1-0 lead, a trio of substitutions—Ram, Pele, and Dew—would have a huge impact on the final result.
After Beem had hit the crossbar with a delightful shot from the edge of the box, Futera extended their lead in the 75th minute. An outstanding sequence of passing, with Ninja once again heavily involved, saw Aek escape down the left flank, ride the full-back’s last-gasp challenge, and produce an inch-perfect cross that Ram gleefully slotted home to double the lead and give the home team some breathing room. Futera then missed a gilt-edged opportunity to kill off the game when a swift counter-attack left Pele clean through but with only the goalkeeper to beat he shot high and wide. Futera’s third goal came deep into injury time when Ram completed his brace, latching onto the impressive Dew’s raking diagonal ball to lob the onrushing Bangkapi keeper and make the score 3-0. Credit to Bangkapi, who kept going until the end, and with almost the last kick of the game, they found the net to make the final score 3-1. Futera remain undefeated with two wins from two games.
An excellent three points for Futera against a direct, physical side. A great team performance, with our second-half energy levels significantly improved from last week. Bringing the substitutes on at crucial times was key, as we didn’t look weary or lacking in intensity. Arm, called in as a last-minute replacement for Bas, was outstanding, as was Seagame, whose guile and intelligence stood out against more experienced opposition. I thought Ninja was much better this week—his hold-up play and passing were first-class, with only his first goal missing. It seems this year’s league will be extremely tight, with all other matches producing close results. With Futera sitting proudly at the top of the table, we need only four more victories to claim the title and guarantee T3 football next year. However, we take one game at a time and will prepare for a tough fixture next week when we travel to the historic city of Ayutthaya to take on Ayutthaya PK FC.
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