Buriram United FC head coach Mark Jackson praised the spirited performance of his players in the second half after the defending champions secured a 1-0 victory over hosts Selangor FC in the first leg of the Asean Club Shopee Cup 2025/26 final at MBPJ Stadium on Wednesday.
Suphanat Mueanta, who was listed in the starting lineup to replace the suspended Guilherme Bissoli, scored the only goal of the match in the 25th minute, with both teams set to meet again in Buriram next week.
"We are indeed happy with the victory away from home," said Jackson.
"With the tight schedule we have faced recently, we knew this would be a very tough match because Selangor is a good team, but also due to the physical demands we have gone through throughout this season."
"I am very pleased with how the players performed, especially in the second half." They really fought hard, giving everything and pouring out all their energy. I am very proud of how they finished this match.
"But as I said before, this is just one match." We still have one more leg to play, and we need to stay focused and prepared for that."
The Thai League 1 champions dominated the early stages of the match in front of the enthusiastic home supporters and took the lead when Suphanat headed in a cross from Theerathon Bunmathan.
However, Selangor's threat gradually increased, especially in the second half when Hugo Boumous hit the goalpost, as the humid weather and tight schedule began to take a toll on Jackson's players.
"Our schedule has indeed been very difficult lately," he said.
"We played for 120 minutes against Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (in the semi-finals), then faced the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, along with travel and matches throughout the season."
"We were a bit fatigued in the second half, but the character shown by the players was extraordinary." The spirit of togetherness and the desire to endure when needed — I am very proud of the players from that perspective.”
The decision adds to Jackson's confidence that Buriram United can defend the championship they won last season when they play in front of their home supporters in the second leg next Wednesday.
"Even before tonight, I have always had confidence in this team and group of players," he said.
"We always step onto the field with the belief that we can win the match because that is the identity of this club and the reputation we have built." We take that responsibility very seriously.
"Of course, we expect to win every match, but we also know it is always difficult, especially in the final match against a team like Selangor that showed great fighting spirit tonight."
"But we also proved that we are capable of meeting that challenge." We will recover physically better than in this match and we will be ready and excited for the return leg later.
