Thailand coach: 'Drawing with Vietnam is a shameful result'

"Playing at home, of course we want to win. But today the team only got one point. I consider it a shameful result. But we will continue to fight. Thailand still have seven matches ahead," Nishino said at a post-match press conference at Thammasat Stadium.

Coach Nishino was not satisfied with the draw against Vietnam. Photo:Mr. Khoa.

The great battle between the two best football teams in Southeast AsiaThe match was fierce, but there were no goals. In his first match leading Thailand, coach Nishino chose a safe solution, when he deployed a team without any real strikers. In the 4-3-1-2 system, the Japanese coach placed Thitipan - a central midfielder, and Supachok - a winger, as the highest position in the attack.

"I decided not to put any real strikers in the starting lineup. Thitipan can play as a striker, and I put him with Supachok, a small but agile player. Both players play well, actively hunt for the ball and keep the ball," the Japanese coach explained about the arrangement of the attack.

Thailand had a bad start, almost conceding a goal in the 18th second, from a threatening situation by Van Toan. But after that, the game became balanced, with many opportunities created for both sides, along with many fierce collisions. Thailand accelerated better towards the end of the match and almost made a difference with a threatening situation by Supachok in the last minute of extra time.

"In the first half, Vietnam played deep, making it difficult for us to attack. Thailand had to pass the ball back and forth, trying to wear down the opponent's stamina. In the second half, we played more directly, used more long balls and from there, found more space and opportunities but could not score. We will have to improve our handling in the opponent's third of the field," Nishino added.

The Japanese coach also said that now is not the time to talk about the past match, but to focus on the next match: "Vietnam is a big opponent, but now we will only focus on Indonesia, the opponent in the next match. Thailand still has a lot of work to do, to prepare for the match in Jakarta in five days".

In the next match, on September 10, Thailand will be a guest at Indonesia's stadium, while Vietnam will be absent.

Que Ngoc Hai was frustrated because the referee did not give him a card after being fouled by a Thai midfielder.

(Baonghean.vn) - Frustrated by the playing style of the Vietnamese team, the Thai players had many dirty plays and tricks, especially the situation where Thitiphan committed a dangerous foul on Que Ngoc Hai. However, no penalty cards were issued.