According to coach Issara Sritaro, except for the draw with Vietnam, Thailand is in stable form and is ready for the semi-finals with Myanmar at the 32nd SEA Games.
Thai players talk to each other after the draw with Vietnam in the final round of Group B of SEA Games 32, evening of May 11. Photo: Lam Thoa
*Thailand - Myanmar: 8pm Saturday 13/5, on VnExpress.
Thailand finished the group stage with three wins and one draw, reaching 10 points with a goal difference of +7. They topped Group B thanks to a better goal difference than second-placed Vietnam. In the semi-finals, the team from the Land of the Golden Pagodas met Myanmar - the second-placed team in Group A.
At the press conference on the afternoon of May 12, Coach Sritaro said that he had watched some of Myanmar's group stage matches and assessed the opponent as a good team with fast and skillful players. However, he also affirmed that Thailand's goal at this year's SEA Games is to win the gold medal after two consecutive games where they lost to Vietnam.
"We played quite well in the group stage. Only the draw with Vietnam was a bit out of plan," he added. "But in that match, my players tried their best, hopefully they will do the same in the semi-finals. I don't care if people rate Thailand as the strongest in this tournament, the important thing is that I need to focus on helping the players recover. If Thailand continues to play well, we will achieve our goal in this year's tournament."
Having secured their place in the semi-finals early, Thailand used only their second team yesterday. They took the lead in the third minute, when Achitpol stole the ball from Luong Duy Cuong's slip and then broke through to beat goalkeeper Huy Hoang. But Sritaro's team could not maintain their advantage. They let Vietnam equalize 1-1 early in the second half, from a shot in the penalty area by Le Quoc Nhat Nam. If Vietnam had taken better advantage of their chances, Thailand could have conceded at least two more goals.
Coach Michael Feichtenbeiner at a press conference in Phnom Penh at noon on May 12. Photo: Lam Thoa
On the Myanmar side, coach Michael Feichtenbeiner was confident. He said that his team consists of many young, inexperienced players, of whom only one is playing in Malaysia, while the others are in the country and have little playing time. "But in the group stage of this year's SEA Games, we have tried to get better and better. We are looking forward to the semi-finals and will try our best. Let's see how far Myanmar can go," the German coach shared.
When a Thai reporter asked him how he prepared for the semi-final win, Feichtenbeiner laughed. He turned to his colleague Sritaro and replied: "The Thai coach is here. I can't reveal the tactics."
Myanmar started the 32nd SEA Games with a 1-0 win over Timor Leste and then lost 0-5 to Indonesia. However, they then defeated hosts Cambodia 2-0 and the Philippines 1-0 to finish second in Group A, following Indonesia into the semi-finals. "I see many experts saying Thailand is the strongest, they will win the championship. But that's their job, I have my job. My job is to find the right tactics, prepare to play well against Thailand. And we'll see what happens," Feichtenbeiner added.
Nghia Hung (from Phnom Penh)
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