Vietnam

Vietnam played better, deserved to win the ASEAN Cup

LA (Synthesis) January 6, 2025 06:08

According to Masatada Ishii, Thailand made many mistakes, while Vietnam played better and deserved to win the second leg of the final to win the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

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Coach Ishii at a press conference after Thailand lost 2-3 to Vietnam in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok on the evening of January 5. Photo: Duc Dong

"Congratulations to Vietnam. They played better in this match and deserved to win the championship," coach Ishii said at a press conference after the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. "Thailand made some mistakes that they shouldn't have made in defense, causing the game to turn in an unfavorable direction."

The Japanese coach admitted that Thailand was eager to win the 2024 ASEAN Cup and regretted not achieving the goal, but he did not consider the 3-5 defeat after two matches against Vietnam as something too bad and affirmed that he would continue his current job. "It is true that we did not achieve the goal. However, this is a period of generational transition, for Thai football to aim for the next tournaments," he added.

Playing the second leg of the final under the cheers of more than 43,000 home fans, Thailand started shakily and conceded a goal in the 8th minute. Striker Pham Tuan Hai sneaked behind and flicked the ball over goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai. In the 28th minute, taking advantage of a mistake by Doan Ngoc Tan, the home team equalized 1-1 thanks to a long-range shot by Ben Davis. In the 32nd minute, Thailand benefited even more when Vietnam's main striker Nguyen Xuan Son was seriously injured and had to leave the field.

In the second half, Thailand unexpectedly scored the second goal, from a controversial long-range shot by Supachok. However, losing a man in the 74th minute with an indirect red card for Weerathep Pomphan made the home team collapse.

In contrast, Vietnam equalized 2-2 when home center-back Pansa Hemviboon scored an own goal while trying to block Tuan Hai's shot in the 82nd minute. In the 20th minute of injury time, Thailand conceded a third goal after goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai went up to take a corner kick and left the goal open, allowing Hai Long to kick the ball into the middle of the field.

Coach Ishii refused to comment on the fair-play factor in the situation where Supachok scored to make it 2-1, but praised it as a "beautiful goal". He also said that the whole team tried, but at the same time admitted that the defense made many mistakes, when the central defenders lost in some easy situations.

According to the Japanese coach, Thailand needs to quickly forget the defeat against Vietnam to aim for the next goal - topping the group in the third qualifying round to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup. Thailand is in Group D, along with Turkmenistan, Taiwan and Sri Lanka, and will play 6 matches from March 2025 to March 2026.

"We have three months to prepare for the third qualifying round of the Asian Cup. I cannot yet determine how many players in the 2024 ASEAN Cup squad will be retained for the next tournament. But I will continue to monitor the national championships with Thai players to evaluate and choose the most suitable force," Ishii added.

LA (Synthesis)
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Vietnam played better, deserved to win the ASEAN Cup