Dangda scores hat-trick, Thailand has a smooth start at AFF Cup 2016

The striker wearing the number 10 jersey shone in the match where the defending champion showed its strength and beat Indonesia with a score of 4-2.

Indonesia did everything they could, and at times, looked like they could beat Thailand, especially after they scored two goals to equalize 2-2 early in the second half. But Kiatisuk’s team proved their position as the strongest team in the region by overcoming that difficult period, winning 4-2.

Teerasil Dangda, with a hat-trick, was the hero for Thailand in this victory. He shone at the decisive moments, making the score 3-2 in the 79th minute, then extinguished any hope of a point for the opponent in injury time. The striker wearing the number 10 shirt made up for the mistakes of his teammates in the defense, who were at fault for two situations in the early second half.

Dangda scored five goals in just four days. Before his hat-trick against Indonesia, the striker also scored a double to help Thailand hold Australia to a 2-2 draw on November 15. Photo: EPA.

Thailand entered the AFF Cup 2016 with great confidence, because a few days before, they had just excellently held Australia to a 2-2 draw in the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. The team in blue quickly materialized that confidence with a series of attacks and the opening goal in the fourth minute. Right-back Peerapat seized the opportunity to shoot after striker Chatthong quickly approached, putting pressure on an Indonesian defender, causing him to fumble and clear the ball. In the excitement, Thailand attacked fiercely and almost doubled their advantage a few minutes later, when Teerasil Dangda hit the crossbar from close range in a corner kick.

After that impressive start, Thailand's performance slowed down a bit, and thanks to that, Indonesia began to regain balance. Coach Alfred Riedl's team proved to be very dangerous with fast attacks from the wing, especially on the left wing, with "drill" Rizki Pora, and an energetic Boas Salossa playing up front. About 15 minutes into the first half, Indonesia created a series of dangerous situations, but they were not sharp enough to seize the opportunities. Two of these were clear chances, including the situation where Salossa could not overcome the brilliant reflexes of goalkeeper Kawin in the 23rd minute, and Lilipaly's shot narrowly missed the post after Salossa's assist in the 27th minute.

In their search for an equalizer, Indonesia showed negligence in their backline and paid a heavy price in the 36th minute, when Thailand coordinated quickly and accurately. "Thai Messi" Chanathip was the one who set up Dangda to tap the ball close to the goal, beating goalkeeper Kurnia, doubling the advantage for the defending champions.

Indonesia was punished for making more mistakes than Thailand. Photo: Siamsport.

The draw with Australia four days ago, on the one hand, gave Thailand great confidence, but on the other hand, it also drained their physical strength. With 10 starting positions retained from the 2018 World Cup qualifier on November 15, Coach Kiatisuk’s players clearly showed signs of fatigue from the end of the first half. Indonesia exploited that weakness of Thailand by increasing the pace after the break, and were well rewarded.

After Kawin denied him a good chance in the 48th minute, Salossa finally succeeded in putting the ball into the Thai net. That was the situation in the 54th minute, when Pora crossed the ball from the left, close to the touchline for the captain to head the ball into the far corner, shortening the score to 1-2. Before he could regain his composure, Thailand conceded the second goal. Still from an aerial battle, but this time, the ball was crossed from the right wing and the person who headed it was Lerby Eliandry.

In both of these goals conceded by Thailand, defender Adison Promrak was at fault, not marking the ball firmly enough, allowing Salossa and Eliandry to head the ball past goalkeeper Kawin. This is probably the reason why coach Kiatisuk prioritized the first two personnel changes for the defense, when he brought Koravit Namviset and then injured mainstay Teerathon onto the field in the middle of the second half to shake up the defense.

This adjustment quickly helped Thailand improve their defense. Not only that, substitute Teerathon also participated in the situation that increased the score to 3-2 for the defending champion when he initiated a combination with Sarach near the 16m50 area, allowing the central midfielder wearing the number 6 shirt to cross, setting up Dangda to score.

Indonesia looked like they had the ability to beat Thailand at times, but failed to capitalize on their chances after equalizing 2-2. Photo: Siamsport.

The game opened up after Dangda's goal, with plenty of chances being created. But while Indonesia were unable to find a way past Kawin's goal for the third time, Thailand did just that. Dangda once again punished the opponent's defense's lapse of judgment when he was there at the right time to meet Sarach's pass and tap the ball into the net, sealing the 4-2 result, ending a smooth start for the number one team in Southeast Asia.

In the next match of Group A, on November 22, Thailand will face Singapore. Meanwhile, Indonesia faces the risk of being eliminated if they continue to lose to co-host Philippines.

According to VNE