What did the coach of Thailand U17 say after losing the opening match?

U17 Thailand lost heavily in the opening match.

"The level of Asia is not the same as Southeast Asia," coach Jadet Meelarp said after the match where Thailand U17 lost to Uzbekistan U17 with a score of 1-4. Despite being the current runner-up in Southeast Asia and bringing a strong squad to the U17 Asian finals, the Thai team is still inferior in many aspects compared to the opponents at the top level of the continent.

Coach Jadet Meelarp added: "The players seem nervous. There are a lot of players who are playing international football for the first time and facing strong opponents who play organised football. Our football world is very different from theirs. They have a good tempo, system and individual technique. The physical condition of the U17 Uzbekistan players is also better.

We were in a weak position. The players tried to play both short and long balls but the opponents were too quick. We were caught up. The players tried to create space but under great pressure they made many mistakes."

Thailand U17 had to play with one less player for most of the second half due to a red card. However, even with a full squad on the field, the Southeast Asian representative was still outclassed by their opponents. They conceded two early goals within the first 15 minutes of the match.

Thailand U17 only had 2 shots in the opponent's penalty area in the first half and one of them was successfully used by Silva Mexes - a player trained at Manchester United - to shorten the score. In the second half, after losing a player, Thailand U17 received 2 more goals.

"It's a pity that in the first 15 minutes, we gave many instructions to the players but still conceded an early goal. Therefore, U17 Thailand had to adjust their tactics. When we were down to 10 players, we tried to turn the situation around in the last 20 minutes. However, it was too difficult to play with one less player. The next match against Saudi Arabia will definitely be even more difficult," said coach Jadet Meelarp.

Source: https://znews.vn/thua-dam-tran-ra-quan-hlv-u17-thai-lan-noi-gi-post1543348.html