Southeast Asian football misses World Cup again

(Baonghean.vn) - Losing to Japan, Thailand said goodbye early to the world football festival in Russia. The question 'When will Southeast Asian football be present at the World Cup?' is still open.

Regional 'Bogeyman'

The Thai national football team is still considered the strongest team in Southeast Asia at the present time. The team has won the regional championship 5 times; participated in the Asian Cup finals 7 times, in which the highest achievement at the continental level was third place in the Asian Cup in 1972 when Thailand hosted the finals.

Coach Kiatisak Senamuang did his best but was helpless. Photo: Internet

Just counting the second half of the 2010s, with achievements that no other Southeast Asian team can compare to: the national team won the 2014 AFF Cup (for the first time since 2002), the Thai U.23 team won the SEA Games for the second time (2013, 2015) and reached the semi-finals of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.

In a particular match, Thai players may stumble, but the country's football has far surpassed other countries in Southeast Asia. Not only Thai people but also many experts and football fans in Southeast Asia are anxiously watching Coach Kiatisak compete in the continental arena.

The joy is not over yet

With a 2-2 draw against Iraq, coach Kiatisak Senamuang's team officially won the top spot in Group F, entering the third qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup in Asia (also the 2019 Asian Cup). This is the third time the team nicknamed "War Elephants" has achieved this feat. However, this is the first time they have returned to the Asian Cup since 2007 and have hopes of going further than the group stage result at that time.

Thailand's entry into the third qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup in Asia is a great honor for Southeast Asian football.

Accordingly, 12 teams will be divided into 2 groups, each group of 6 teams will compete in a round robin. The top two teams in each group will win tickets to the 2018 World Cup. The two third-placed teams will enter round 4. In round 4: The two third-placed teams will compete in a home and away format. The winning team will compete for a play-off ticket to Russia with the fourth-placed team from the North, Central America and Caribbean region.

Thai players were helpless in Japan and had to accept a 0-4 defeat. Photo: Internet

Being drawn into a group with Australia, UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kiatisa and his students were probably more realistic when trying to compete for third place and a wild card. But “at home, mother first, child second”, when entering the regional arena, it was not until the fifth match that they had a 2-2 draw with Australia, the rest were all losses.

Playing 7 matches, "War Elephants" only scored 3 goals, conceded 19 goals and said goodbye early before 3 rounds, showing how far the "lowland" of Southeast Asian football is from the continent.

Names like Prathum Chutong, Charyl Chappuis, Chanathip Songkrasin, Teerasil Dangda... are only famous in the region, but when competing in the continental arena, standing next to Shinji Kagawa, Yasuyuki Konno, Hiroki Sakai, Maya Yoshida, they suddenly become very small.

In fact, the Thai players also had a match that was considered equal to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of Group B, but that was not enough for the long journey on the football field.

Not only the Thai people, but also the Singapore Football Federation and the Vietnam Football Federation once dreamed of going to the “big ocean” to participate in the World Cup. However, seeing the disastrous defeat of the Thai team, the members of the Southeast Asian Football Federation had to sit down together to discuss a comprehensive revival, which might not be possible for another few decades.

AT