Coach Polking: ‘Thailand has shown strength’

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“We played the way we were prepared. Thailand showed strength, played with the right style. I believe we won because we played well,” Mr. Polking said after the match at Thien Truong Stadium. “I created a team with great tactics. We kept the distance well, did not give Indonesia space. A match like this shows the excitement of football. I am proud of my players. . Our strategy was great. Now we can rest for the final.”

Thailand entered the game slowly, letting Indonesia repeatedly threaten Kawin’s goal. In the first half, they kept a clean sheet thanks to a poor opponent’s attack. However, at the beginning of the second extra time, Thailand suddenly created a mutation with a good combination that ended with a stretch shot into a tight corner of Weerathep Pomphan – one of the three players over 23 years old to be strengthened.

The psychological advantage and the position after the opening goal helped Thailand play leisurely for the rest of the time. Meanwhile, Indonesia was inhibited, leading to the players getting angry and receiving three red cards after a clash at the end of the second extra time.

At the beginning of the year, under the hands of Polking, Thailand also defeated Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia in the final of the AFF Cup. Asked about the secret to two consecutive victories over a famous colleague who worked in the World Cup, the Thai leader said: “There is no secret, there is no secret. We just fight, and win with the quality of the players. My players are good, qualified, experienced and I just blow in the fighting energy and help them play with the right tactics. you can see. Indonesia has many young players, very progressive. I believe Indonesia still has a bright future ahead of them. They can beat us. But we will fight in any situation.”

With this victory, Thailand entered the final and met the winner of the remaining semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia. Coach Polking admits that having to play 120 minutes definitely affects the fitness of the players but he has no other choice, will give the team rest to recover and prepare best for the final.

Due to the red card, William will not be able to participate in the final. According to coach Polking, this is the only sad news for Thailand, because it is an important factor to build to support young players and tactics.

Asked to evaluate the teams participating in the tournament, the German coach said that the teams were of good quality and did not think there was any superiority from Thailand, because Iran, Iraq or Japan and Korea must be defeated. proved to be a strong football background.

He also praised Thien Truong Stadium as a good environment for football development, even worthy of consideration by other countries.

Lam Tho