Indonesia becomes the 'judge' in Group G; Thai press blames the referee

After losing all five of their first matches, Indonesia's "status" was forgotten by their opponents in the same group. Recently, whenNorth Korea withdrawsFIFA decided that the results of the second-placed team and the bottom-placed team will not be counted when considering the ticket to the final qualifying round of the World Cup. Analysis of the situation in Group G has made even less mention of Indonesia's role, except for the teams that are likely to finish second.

But2-2 drawThe result of the Indonesian team against Thailand has distorted all predictions. Because of this result, Thailand's maximum points are only 15 (meaning winning all 2 remaining matches). In the case of finishing second in the group, they will only have 11 points compared to other second-placed teams because they have to give up 4 points earned against Indonesia. Based on the Asian qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup (there was also a similar case, when Indonesia was banned by FIFA), second-placed teams with 11 points are not sure to get a ticket to the final qualifying round.

In theory, after losing the chance to advance, what is worth waiting for from Indonesia is mainly professional issues after having a new Korean coach, Shin Tae-Yong, as well as "rejuvenating" the force to prepare for the SEA Games at the end of 2021. Few people think Indonesia will play with the highest spirit when they no longer have the motivation for achievements. But the young Indonesian players play as if it is a decisive match.

Thai press blames referee

According to Siam Sport, the referee was the match's nightmare, along with the weakness of both the offense and defense.

They said that referee Ammar Mahfoodh overlooked too many fouls, including a penalty that Thailand should have been awarded at the end of the match for a cross that hit an Indonesian player's hand in the penalty area, but was denied by the referee. At the same time, the referee also did not issue cards for many fouls committed by Indonesia against Thai players, with Indonesia receiving only two yellow cards throughout the match.

Thailand has 9 points like UAE.

In addition to criticizing the referee, Siam Sport also said that Thailand's attack was too weak and missed many opportunities, despite being better than their opponents. Against an opponent that was weaker in many aspects like Indonesia, the strikers from the Golden Temple country had 22 shots, but only 4 were on target and scored 2 goals. This will make it difficult for Thailand in the remaining matches.

In addition, Siam Sport also said: “Thailand's defense played erratically and lacked cohesion. Meanwhile, Indonesia changed a lot in this match. With a group of young players on the field, they made the Thai team compete physically. Besides, the lack of key players made it impossible for Thailand to impose their style of play against a less experienced opponent.”

After a 2-2 draw with Indonesia, Thailand dropped to 9th place in the rankings, even though they have the same 9 points as UAE and Malaysia. Therefore, they must beat UAE on the night of June 7 if they want to keep their chances of advancing.

Ronaldo fails to score in Euro warm-up match

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score as Portugal drew 0-0 with hosts Spain in a friendly on June 4.

The best chance of the match came to the Portuguese captain in the 69th minute. Home defender Aymeric Laporte was momentarily careless, allowing Ronaldo to jump high to head the ball into the penalty area from Bruno Fernandes' cross, but the ball went wide. In addition to this situation, the 36-year-old striker also impressed with a 60-meter acceleration from his own penalty area to the opponent's penalty area in 7 seconds in the 88th minute.

Ronaldo in a header at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on June 4. Photo: Mundo Deportivo