'It was a misunderstanding': Thailand's Supachok explains controversial goal against Vietnam

Supachok Sarachat (number 7) celebrates a goal for Thailand against Vietnam in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup final on Jan. 5, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

In the 64th minute, Vietnam goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu threw the ball out of play to allow medical staff to assist Nguyen Hoang Duc who was in pain. When the match resumed, Thailand threw the ball back into play instead of giving it back to Vietnam. The ball found Ben Davis, who passed it to Sarachat. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder turned and struck a curling shot into the top corner of the goal, leaving Vietnam players stunned.

While the action was not against the rules, it broke the convention of fair play, where the ball is usually returned to the opposing team after being put out of play on purpose when a player needs medical attention.

On Monday, Sarachat took to Instagram to defend himself, insisting that he did not lack sportsmanship.

"I would like to take this opportunity to explain regarding to controversial goal last night, as professional player I never intend to play football with unfair manner," he wrote on Monday.

Sarachat said that the match was intense, with the score tied at 1-1 and Thailand pushing forward in attack. Moments earlier, he was fouled in midfield and was frustrated that the referee did not penalize a Vietnam player.

 

 

'It was a misunderstanding': Thailand's Supachok explains controversial goal against Vietnam

p64 - Supachok ghi bàn tranh cãi

"I didn’t know that during my questioning to referee, which side kicked the ball out of play for injury treatment for Vietnam players. Furiously felling to the referee’s decision and emotional atmosphere by the fans, after the play resumed, the ball just threw to me by teammate I just shoot that ball by my instinct into the goal, then suddenly all Vietnam players run to me for complaining," he added.

Sarachat, who currently plays for Japanese club Consadole Sapporo, emphasized that his actions stemmed from a misunderstanding, not a lack of integrity.

"I tried to explain to everyone that I didn’t know of what situation happened during my furious emotion to the referee’s decision. As a professional player, for my entire career I never thought about committing unsportsmanship behavior and this was happened only by my misunderstanding," he stated.

In closing, Sarachat congratulated Vietnam on their ASEAN Cup title win and expressed hope for future encounters.

"Finally, I would like to say congratulations to Vietnam team for the victory last night and looking forward to playing with you guys again," he said.