Thailand struggled to escape from Cambodia

In the match between Thailand and Cambodia on the evening of December 20, there was a moment when Cambodia took the lead and had a chance to advance, but that moment only lasted for a minute. In their 10th time playing in the group stage of the Southeast Asian Championship, Cambodia continued to be eliminated early.

Cambodia started the game better and surprisingly opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. From a cross by midfielder Sor Rotana, naturalized Colombian striker Andrés Nieto tapped the ball with his left foot, defeating goalkeeper Kampol Pathomakkakul. However, that was all the visitors could do in Bangkok.

Thailand quickly recovered and equalized after just one minute. Goalkeeper Reth Ly Heng blocked a long-range shot from midfielder Worachit Kanitsribampen, but could not prevent Akarapong from scoring the rebound. The equalizer cost Cambodia their second-place finish in the group at that point.

Cambodia continued to hold out until the 78th minute, when Thailand raised the score to 2-1 thanks to a double from Akarapong.

In the 84th minute, Thailand's center-back Chalermsak widened the gap to 3-1, before Coulibaly scored another goal for Cambodia. The final result was 3-2 in favor of Thailand.

The defending champions have shown that they are still candidates to win the ASEAN Cup 2024, as they are the only team that has won all their matches.

Although the match with Cambodia was a formality, coach Matasada Ishii still used many players who started in previous matches, including Akarapong.

Cambodia, on the other hand, can hold their heads high after one win, one draw and two losses, scoring seven goals and conceding eight. Coach Koji Gyotoku’s squad has naturalised players who have helped lift the team. And the final scorer for Cambodia in the tournament was also Ivorian striker Abdel Kader Coulibaly.