The Philippines team surprisingly won 2-1 against Thailand in the first leg of the 2024 AFF Cup semi-final.
The second semi-final match of the AFF Cup 2024 is a match between the Philippines and Thailand. Playing away and on an artificial turf field, the Thai team appeared confused in the first minutes of the match. The Philippines team created many opportunities in the early stages of the match and the goal came early for this team.
In the 21st minute, after a few missed chances, the Philippines opened the scoring. Receiving a pass from his teammate, Reyes dribbled the ball very well, passed 2 opposing defenders and then fired a dangerous shot to break the deadlock for the Philippines. Despite the unexpected defeat, the Thai team tried to attack but this was the first half in which the players from the land of the golden pagodas did not play well.
In the first half, Supachok Sarachat played poorly after missing many matches. He had just returned from injury and was not in the best physical condition. This midfielder's stalemate made the Thai team somewhat out of breath. Not to mention, the artificial turf field is indeed a barrier that cannot be underestimated. However, coach Masatada Ishii and his team still have stars who know how to shine.
In the 45th minute, Suphanat organized a quick counter-attack, he passed the ball to Patrik Gustavsson before the striker conveniently let Suphanan finish close to the goal to equalize 1-1.
In the second half, the game changed completely when the Thai team attacked and put a lot of pressure on the Philippines team's field. In the 47th minute, Suphanat handled the ball very well, he finished the ball hitting the crossbar after eliminating the Philippine defender. Just 3 minutes later, Suphanan passed back very well but Gustavsson's shot was not sharp enough.
After that, the Philippines focused on defense and the match gradually passed into the final minutes without any notable moves.
The surprise happened in the 90+5 minute, from Bailey's free kick, Mariona headed the ball for Linares to finish, raising the score to 2-1 for the Philippines.
VN (synthesis)