Thailand expects star playing in Japan to catch up with Vietnam team's record

Supachok Sarachat is the new hope of Thai football.

At this time, the Vietnamese team is the Southeast Asian team with the most points in the third qualifying round of the World Cup. Under coach Park Hang-seo, we have 4 points (won against China, tied with Japan). In the third qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup, the Thai team only had 2 points.

Vietnamese and Thai football teams are always competing with each other on all fronts. Breaking records like this is no exception. Therefore, in addition to going as far as possible, coach Alexandre Polking and his team will also want to catch up with the milestone that the Vietnamese team set in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

To do that, the Thai team needs to pass the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, which will start next November. Here, they are in Group C with the teams of South Korea, China, Singapore or Guam.

Chanathip has returned to Thailand after a successful period in the J-League.

When the Korean team is too strong and Singapore or Guam are too weak, the direct competitor of the Thai team is the Chinese team, which is 33 places above the "War Elephants" in the FIFA rankings (83 compared to 113). In the previous 26 confrontations, the Thai team only won 6, drew 2 and lost 18.

The numbers show that Thailand are the underdogs in their match against China, the team that lost to Vietnam in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. However, they have the right to hope thanks to a rising star shining in the J-League.

After "Thai Messi" Chanathip Songkrasin left Japan to return to Thailand to play for BG Pathum United, a fellow countryman began to improve and shine in the opposite direction. That is Supachok Sarachat of Consadole Sapporo.

The striker born in 1998 experienced many difficulties in the early stages of the 2023 J-League 1 season. However, with determination and effort, he gradually won the trust of coach Mihailo Petrovic and played more for the old team of Le Cong Vinh and Chanathip.

Thanh Binh celebrates with Ngoc Hai after scoring to help Vietnam draw 1-1 with Japan

Supachok has played a total of 23 matches in Japan, including 17 in J-League 1. He has scored 6 goals and 1 assist. This is an impressive number for a Southeast Asian player to start in Asia's top league.

The match against Gamba Osaka on September 2nd marked an important milestone in Supachok's career. This was not the first time he scored for Consadole Sapporo, but it was the first time he played a star role and scored important goals.

The Thai star made a beautiful right-footed shot from outside the box. Then, he had a sharp sense of the goal when he quickly rushed in to successfully score the rebound.

He helped Consadole Sapporo take a 2-0 lead, opening up an easier game for a 4-0 win. Supachok was also given a score of 9.2 by Sofascore (highest in the match).

Supachok in Consadole Sapporo club jersey

This double also helped Supachok become Consadole Sapporo's third best scorer this season. He scored 8 goals in all competitions, behind only 2 Japanese strikers, Yuya Osano (10 goals) and Takuro Kaneko (9 goals).

If he continues to play at this rate, Supachok will certainly become the "heavy artillery" of the Thai team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Besides, Supachok's half-brother, Suphanat Muenta, is also worth looking forward to.

This young star born in 2002 has joined the Belgian team OH Leuven on loan. In the context of Teerasil Dangda being on the other side of his career, Chanathip's performance declining due to injury, the rise of Supachok or Suphanat is a positive signal for the Thai team.

The two brothers Supachok and Suphanat can help the Thai team confidently find a way to surpass the Chinese team to participate in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, helping the "War Elephants" aim to break the score record that the Vietnamese team is setting in the Southeast Asian region.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/thai-lan-ky-vong-sao-nhat-ban-de-bat-kip-ky-luc-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185230903112314155.htm