Thai players are not in good condition.
The Thai team just played hard for more than 120 minutes against the Philippines in the second leg of the semi-final on the evening of December 30, 2024. The "War Elephants" won a ticket to the final of the AFF Cup 2024 when defeating the Philippines with a score of 4-3 after 2 matches, but the team from the land of the golden pagoda also paid the price. Having to compete at high intensity for a long time has worn down the physical strength of the Thai players, leading to injuries. After the second leg of the semi-final, at least 2 players of this team were not in the best condition. The dangerous "supporting actor" Teerasak Poeiphimai was substituted in the 64th minute but had to leave the field in the 78th minute. According to Thai media, Teerasak Poeiphimai had to go to the hospital to check on a back pain, so the possibility of recovering in time for the final is very low. Meanwhile, Suphanat Mueanta was not even fit enough to play in the second leg of the semi-final on December 30, 2024, but coach Masatada Ishii reluctantly had to send the striker born in 2002 onto the field because he wanted to decide the match in extra time. Suphanat had a high fever after this semi-final and had to be hospitalized, so he will arrive in Vietnam later than his teammates.
The Thai team is confident but they have less recovery time than Vietnam.
After struggling to defeat the Philippines, the Thai team had to fly to Vietnam to play the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium. According to the plan, the "war elephants" were divided into 2 groups and arrived in Vietnam on the evening of December 31, then traveled from Hanoi to Phu Tho that same night. Thus, coach Ishii and his team only had 1 training session in Vietnam (January 1), and that was also the session to get acquainted with the official competition field.
Highlight Thailand 3-1 Philippines – Second leg semi-final ASEAN MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC Cup 2024
It can be seen that overexerting themselves in the second leg of the semi-final against the Philippines, along with a busy travel schedule, put Thailand at a disadvantage before the first leg of the final, when they faced Kim Sang-sik's team. Coach Ishii admitted right after the second leg of the semi-final: "From now until the first leg of the final, we only have 2 days of rest. There are players who are injured, and this is regrettable. However, the Thai team will try their best with the remaining force. Regarding the plan for the final, Thailand will have a plan for each match... We want to win both remaining matches and win the 2024 AFF Cup championship."
The Vietnamese team had many advantages before the first leg of the final. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team had a rest since the evening of December 29, did not have to travel and especially played at home. However, Thailand is a team with class and courage. The "War Elephants" always know how to overcome difficult times. This was proven through the match in which Thailand was 2 goals behind, but made a spectacular comeback to win 4-2 against Singapore. The final result in the semi-final against the Philippines also affirmed the courage of the "War Elephants". Thailand's strength is that they always play extremely well when put in a difficult position, forced to speed up at a certain time to find a goal. Therefore, the Vietnamese team needs to be very careful if they want to win the first leg of the final.
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs conference on anti-smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/5/14/6cd67667e99e4248b7d4f587fd21e37c)
Comment (0)