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 his 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 at 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 Thailand's hero in this victory. He shone at crucial moments, making it 3-2 in the 79th minute, then extinguishing any hope of a point for the opposition in stoppage time. The striker's goals in the No. 10 shirt made up for his teammates in defense, who were at fault for two goals conceded early in the second half.

Dangda scored five goals in just four days. Before his hat-trick against Indonesia, the striker also scored a brace 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 earlier, they had just drawn 2-2 with Australia in the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. The blue team quickly materialized that confidence with a series of intense 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 centre-back, 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 during 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 wings, 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 excellent reflexes of goalkeeper Kawin in the 23rd minute, and Lilipaly's shot narrowly missed the post after Salossa's assist in the 27th minute.

Absorbed in searching for an equalizer, Indonesia showed negligence in the back line and paid dearly in the 36th minute, in a situation where Thailand coordinated quickly and accurately. "Thai Messi" Chanathip was the one who set up Dangda to tap the ball close to the goal past 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 by the end of the first half. Indonesia exploited that weakness of Thailand by increasing the pace after the break, and were well rewarded.

After being denied a good chance by Kawin 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 sideline 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 header was finished by Lerby Eliandry.

In both of Thailand's goals, defender Adison Promrak was at fault, as he was not very aggressive in marking, allowing Salossa and Eliandry to head past goalkeeper Kawin. This was probably the reason why coach Kiatisuk prioritized the first two changes to the defense, bringing 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 champions 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 could beat Thailand at times, but failed to capitalize after equalizing at 2-2. Photo: Siamsport.

The game opened up after Dangda's goal, with plenty of chances 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 for being careless when he was there at the right time to meet Sarach's pass and tap the ball in from close range, 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