AFF Cup: Thailand march into final after outclassing Malaysia 3-0
Bernama
Januari 10, 2023
AFF Cup: Thailand march into final after outclassing Malaysia 3-0
AFF Cup defending champions Thailand qualified for the final after beating Malaysia 3-0 in the second-leg semifinal match at the Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani tonight. - FAM
PATHUM THANI (Thailand): ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup defending champions Thailand have qualified for the final after beating Malaysia 3-0 in the second leg semifinal match at Thammasat Stadium here tonight.
Thailand overcame the one-goal deficit they picked up during their 0-1 first leg semifinal defeat on Jan 7, outclassing the Malaysian team tonight to secure an overall 3-1 aggregate victory.
The Harimau Malaya team had started strong in their rival's den, attacking strongly in the first 10 minutes, nearly dominating the match early on, only to see the home team grab the lead through a lovely header by Teerasil Dangda, who beat defenders Sharul Nazeem Zulpakar and Dominic Tan to slot in Thailand's first goal off an eerily accurate cross from Thai captain Theerathon Bunmathan in the 19th minute.
The goal evidently shook the Malaysian team, and it seemed to have affected their gameplay for the remainder of the match.
The match continued to be a highly contested affair, with coaches from both teams, Thailand's Alexandre Polking and Malaysia's Kim Pang Gon being yellow carded by Jordanian referee Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh in the 29th minute.
Malaysia's only attempt at Thailand's goal came in the 36th minute from a header by Darren Lok off a cross by Mohd Nor Hakim Hassan that unfortunately sailed right into the arms of Thai goalkeeper Kampon Phatomakkakul.
Malaysia was still very much in the game in the second half, as they looked for ways to equalise through the introduction of substitutes Lee Tuck and V. Ruventhiran.
But that was not enough to stem the rise of Thailand, and the Malaysians were punished for not marking Bordin Phala well, allowing him to score off a cross by Ekanit Panya in the 55th minute.
A third substitution in the 67th minute, which saw Malaysia's Muhammad Safawi Rasid replacing Muhammad Fazly Mazlan, failed to stop Thailand from securing their third and final goal of the match, as Adisak Kraisorn pounced on a loose ball to score in the 71st minute, a well-deserved reward for reacting first in the confusion following a shot that rebounded off the left lower corner of Malaysia's goalpost just seconds earlier.
Faced with the near impossible task of turning things around, the Malaysian team nonetheless played on for the rest of the match, seeking any opportunity to secure the goals that somehow eluded them this time around.
Malaysia's AFF campaign comes to an end with tonight's 0-3 defeat, and Thailand, fresh from their 3-1 aggregate semifinal victory, will take on two-time champions Vietnam in the two-legged final on Jan 13 and 16.
-- BERNAMA
Blame it on me, not the players - Pan Gon
Bernama
Januari 11, 2023 07:19 MYT
Blame it on me, not the players - Pan Gon
National head coach Kim Pan Gon apologised to all Malaysians for failing to lead the Harimau Malaya to the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup final after losing 0-3 against defending champions Thailand last night. - BERNAMA
PATHUM THANI (Thailand): National head coach Kim Pan Gon apologised to all Malaysians for failing to lead the Harimau Malaya to the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup final after losing 0-3 against defending champions Thailand here, last night.
The South Korean coach apologised for not being able to bring cheers to national football fans and asked all parties not to blame his players for the defeat in the second leg semi-final at the Thammasat Stadium.
He said that if there is a problem that leads to the defeat of the national team, it should be directed to him as an individual who is fully responsible.
"I have zero complaints and regrets, what my players had done tonight - they were running like dog, they followed my instructions, they fought until the end.
"All related to problems are from my side (because) all tactical, line-up and strategy that was mine, not the player....any decision is my decision, you can blame me and you can attack me (but) not the players," he said during a post-match press conference here, last night.
Last night's victory allowed Thailand to advance to the final on a 3-1 aggregate and will face two-time champions Vietnam in Hanoi this Friday before playing at home next Monday.
Meanwhile, Thailand head coach Alexandre Polking summed up the two semi-final matches that the War Elephants went through to reach the final as amazing.
"Two fantastic semi-finals but I believe the match in Malaysia was the better one for us than today. Overall, these two games are better than the group stage.
"We got the goals we needed but it was a tough match especially in the first half. But they couldn't create chances because we defended well. We knew we couldn't let them get a goal here," said the 46-year-old coach.
Tonight's victory ended Thailand's winless record against Malaysia after six matches since 2018.
Thailand is the most successful team in the AFF Cup campaign since the inaugural event in 1996 after they emerged champions six times after appearing in nine previous editions of the final.
-- BERNAMA
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