Thailand’s unprecedented “nightmare” after the draw against U23 Vietnam
From the U23 Vietnam draw to the Malaysian nightmare
Thailand U23 is the most appreciated team at the 25th SEA Games. Their goal is the 9th gold medal in a row. Leading Thailand U23 at that time was the experienced coach Steve Darby. Thai football legend Kiatisak also participated in the SEA Games in Laos as an assistant coach.
U23 Thailand at that time brought to Laos a group of quality players with faces like Kawin Thamsatchanan, Theerathon Bunmathan, Suthinan Phukhom, Kiatprawut Saiwaeo, Piyachat Askaphan, Adul Lahsoh, Teerasil Dangda… However, they had to receive a shock in Laos. .
Thailand U23 is expected to win gold at SEA Games 25
U23 Thailand won a 1-1 draw against U23 Vietnam in the opening match. Kirati opened the scoring for Thailand U23 in this match, but Hoang Dinh Tung’s goal at the end of the match forced “War Elephants” to divide the points. Coach Steve Darby’s team then won 4-0 against Cambodia and crushed Timor Leste with a score of 9-0.
Coach Steve Darby and assistant Kiatisak at SEA Games 25
Before the last match of the group stage, U23 Thailand had 7 points, topping Group A with a goal difference that far surpassed the team with the same point as U23 Vietnam. U23 Thailand only needs to draw Malaysia to enter the semi-finals. According to experts, U23 Malaysia at that time had very few opportunities against Thailand U23. They even lost 1-3 to U23 Vietnam.
U23 Vietnam drew 1-1 against Thailand U23 in the opening match at the 25th SEA Games
But the nightmare has come to the Thai people in Vientiane. The Thai’s 48-match unbeaten streak at the SEA Games was stopped on December 11, 2009. Although opening the score first thanks to Arthit’s work, Thailand U23 conceded 2 goals in the last 10 minutes of the match and lost with a score of 1-2.
This loss made Thailand U23 stop from the group stage of the 25th SEA Games and watch Malaysia and Vietnam continue. The Thai U23 players were shocked and confused after the referee blew the whistle to end the match. It seems that they still can’t believe that they are eliminated.
Thailand U23 eliminated from the group stage of SEA Games 25
Causes of failure of Thai people
According to statistics, it was the first time after 36 years that Thailand was eliminated from the group stage of the SEA Games. In the press conference room after the loss to Malaysia, coach Steve Darby accepted responsibility for his part. The head of the Thai football team, Samart Malulem, shared that at first he thought Thailand U23 would surpass Malaysia, but the result was not unexpected.
Another official, Thana Chaiprasit – Head of the Thai sports delegation, said he was shocked that Thailand U23 was eliminated from the group stage. According to him, this is something that no one could have expected.
Some Thai fans were so disappointed that they tried to enter the press conference room but were stopped by security staff. There were fans who shared that they were very disappointed by Thailand’s U23 performance at the end of the match, when coach Steve Darby’s students had rough tackles to the opponent.
Thailand’s U23 players were fiercely criticized by fans after being eliminated from the 25th SEA Games
Sheet Siam Sportst of Thailand pointed out 2 main reasons why Steve Darby’s teachers and students were eliminated. First, Thailand U23 had too little preparation for the 25th SEA Games. Due to the busy schedule of the domestic tournament, the Thai players only had 10 days to prepare for the 25th SEA Games.
As a result, Thailand U23 was not physically fit at the 25th SEA Games. Coach Steve Darby’s students could not stand for 90 minutes and conceded a goal at the end of the match when they met U23 Vietnam and U23 Malaysia.
Kiatisak also admitted after the tournament that many Thai players when attending the 25th SEA Games were in a tired state after intense matches in the Thai League.
Malaysia U23 won 2-1 against Thailand U23
The second reason is the complacency of the Thai U23 players. Many Thai U23 members at that time were stars and they were subjective when entering the tournament.
The Thai press also criticized the decision to substitute coach Steve Darby in the defeat against Malaysia. Sheet MGR Online also quoted the statement of Malaysia U23 coach Rajagopal.
In it, Mr. Rajagopal pointed out that in the last 10 minutes, Thailand U23 should have launched a defensive player and kept the ball to preserve the score, but coach Steve Darby put an attacking player on the field. “This is a big mistake of coach Steve Darby,” said coach Rajagopal.
After the humiliating defeat at the 25th SEA Games, coach Steve Darby was fired by the Thai Football Federation under pressure from the fans. However, the series of dark days in the SEA Games of Thai football did not stop there. At the next SEA Games in Indonesia, the Thais were also embarrassedly eliminated from the group stage.
At this tournament, U23 Thailand also had a worse performance when losing 3 matches in a row in the group stage. Until now, the 2 SEA Games 25 and 26 are still painful memories for Thai fans.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Kenh14.Vn – Read the original article here
