Thailand coach: "We have prepared a scenario for the penalty shootout"
Coach Masatada Ishii said that Thailand has prepared a penalty shootout scenario with Vietnam in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final.
At noon on January 4, the press conference before the second leg of the finalASEAN Cup 2024 took place. Coach Masatada Ishii affirmed that the first leg result was not unfavorable for Thailand in the rematch against Vietnam tomorrow (January 5).
"I don't think Thailand has any disadvantage compared to the Vietnamese team. We will play at home in the second leg of the final. In tomorrow's match, Thailand will prepare for a penalty shootout after 2 extra halves," coach Masatada Ishii declared.
Coach Masatada Ishii added that he carefully studied the starting lineup in the second leg of the final to achieve the best result against the Vietnamese team.
The Japanese captain admitted that the Thai team does not have the strongest squad participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024, but will certainly be supplemented with many quality players in the upcoming tournaments.
"After the ASEAN Cup, I will have to quickly follow the matches in the Thai League to continue selecting the best personnel for the Thai team to play in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers."
Regarding the case of Akarapong Pumwisat, the player who was injured after fierce disputes with Nguyen Xuan Son in the first leg of the final, coach Masatada Ishii said: "I feel sorry for Akarapong, he is important to the team. Currently, Akarapong is actively recovering from his injury."
The rematch between Vietnam and Thailand will kick off at 8:00 p.m. on January 5 at Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand./.
