Thailand lost their second consecutive match in the U18 Southeast Asian tournament.
The Golden Temple team lost 1-3 to Australia in the third round of Group B at Go Dau Stadium (Binh Duong) on the afternoon of August 11.
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Australia has a wide open door to the semi-finals after three consecutive wins. Photo:Duc Dong. |
After a surprising 3-4 loss to Cambodia, Thailand had to beat Australia to keep their chances of advancing. If the loss to a weaker opponent in the second match was explained by sending in a reserve team, then in this match, Thailand used their best players.
They rushed to attack right after the opening whistle. Thailand's tight combination play, speed and determination caused many difficulties for Australia. Many opportunities were created, but their limited finishing ability prevented them from finding the Australian net.
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Thailand (white shirt) created many opportunities to threaten Australia's goal, but could not take advantage to open the score. Photo:Duc Dong. |
In the second half, Thailand maintained their attacking power but their strikers continued to be unlucky. The ball either went wide of the post or was blocked by the Australian goalkeeper.
Despite attacking many times without scoring any goals, Thailand received a counterattack. In the 56th, 67th and 78th minutes, the two strikers Ruiz-Diaz and Carlucio combined to score three goals. Ruiz-Diaz scored a double.
Thailand's efforts only helped them reduce the score to 1-3 in the 82nd minute, thanks to Natcha Prornsormboon.
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Ruiz-Diaz (10) scored twice after taking advantage of counter-attack opportunities. Photo:Duc Dong. |
Despite losing the match, Thailand showed that they were not at all inferior. Throughout the match, the Southeast Asian team launched 20 shots compared to Australia's 11. But efficiency was what made the difference.
After three matches, Thailand has only one point and is at the bottom of Group B. Their chances of advancing are almost gone, even if they beat Vietnam and Malaysia in their final two matches. Meanwhile, a third consecutive win helped Australia take the top spot.
In the same match, Malaysia beat Singapore 3-1 to rise to second place in the table.
At 7:30 p.m. today, Vietnam will meet Singapore at Go Dau Stadium.
The U18 Southeast Asian Championship takes place from August 6 to August 19 in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong. Group A includes Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Timor Leste, the Philippines and Brunei. Group B includes Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and Cambodia. The semi-finals will be played in Binh Duong, and the final will be held in Ho Chi Minh City. All matches are open to the public. |
