An aggressive first half saw the Ronins miss several chances in the box, though Rayong's tough defense were step-for-step with each Phuket offensive.
It wasn't until the second half, at the 72 minute mark, that Rayong's Yves Desmarets far shot hit the back of the net to put the visitors up 1-0 at Surakul Stadium.
Just five minutes later, Rayong defender Pornsak Pongthong put the visitors up 2-0 with a slick shot that only barely slipped past Phuket goalkeeper Piyawait Intarapim.
Rayong took over the middle of the field for most of the game, as Phuket's passing game could barely get going until the final ten minutes of the match. A free kick by Andre Rodrigues Lopez into the penalty area rebounded off the crossbar to Nlome-Ndebi, who headed the ball in for a consolation goal during the final moments of extra time.
But it was too late as Rayong handed Phuket their second straight loss. Phuket FC were outclassed by Sukhothai FC 5-2 just six days before (March 1) away from home.
Phuket FC fell to 16th place out of the 20-team Yamaha League-1 table, with four points. Three other team – Bangkok FC, Songkhla United, and Air Force Central FC – also have 4 points though Phuket are on bottom due to their -3 goal differential.
Next up, the Ronins take on Thai Honda FC at Surakul Stadium this Wednesday, March 11, at 7pm. The game was previously scheduled to take place at 72nd Anniversary Stadium in Bangkok but was rescheduled last week. The return match will now take place in Bangkok on August 15.