Thailand coach: Ready for penalty shootout with Vietnam

At the press conference this afternoon, coach Ishii recalled Thailand's defensive mistakes in the first leg, especially allowing striker Nguyen Xuan Son to score two goals for Vietnam. "Not being able to guard number 12 was the worst thing about that match," he admitted.

The Japanese coach later said his team had spent more than a day resting and analyzing the 1-2 loss to avoid making similar mistakes in the return match at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok on January 5.

Despite losing the first leg, the gap between the two teams was only one goal. Therefore, coach Ishii believes that Thailand is not under too much pressure, especially with the support of about 50,000 home fans. He is confident in a comeback to defend the championship.

In the semi-finals, Thailand were in a similar situation. They lost 1-2 in the Philippines in the first leg, but won 3-1 in the second leg. History also records that the Thai team has made many comebacks in the ASEAN Cup. For example, in the 2016 final, they lost 1-2 in the first leg away from home to Indonesia and won 2-0 in the second leg at home.

However, coach Ishii is still cautious. "We will try our best to defend the championship and the pride of playing in front of home fans. However, because the away goal rule does not count in this tournament, Thailand must prepare everything, including the possibility of penalty shootouts," he said.

Under Ishii, Thailand lost to the Philippines for the first time in 52 years and to Vietnam in an official tournament for the first time in 17 years. But the Japanese coach is not interested in such figures. Instead, he focuses on recovery and prioritizes finding solutions to improve the quality of play.

In the first leg, Akarapong Pumwisat had to leave the field early after spraining his right ankle while blocking a pass from Xuan Son. Yesterday afternoon, the 29-year-old midfielder had to use crutches and had his ankle bandaged when flying home with the team. Coach Ishii confirmed that Akarapong would not recover in time for the return leg, but believes that the remaining Thai midfielders are capable of filling the void.

Regarding Chalermsak - the central defender who made mistakes in both goals Thailand conceded in the first leg, coach Ishii defended him and left open the possibility of continuing to put this 30-year-old defender in the starting lineup tomorrow. "Every player has a chance to play. Those who made mistakes must try to fix them and play according to the plan," he added.