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In the second half of the game at Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday, Vietnam goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu threw the ball out of play to allow medical staff to take care of Nguyen Hoang Duc. When the game resumed, Thailand had a throw-in, but instead of returning the ball to Vietnam as a gesture of fair play, the players pressed forward. Sarachat received the ball and quickly took a shot from about 30 m to give Thailand a 2-1 lead amid the confusion of Vietnam players, who strongly protested and led to a pause in the match.
Vietnam later came back with two goals to secure the title with a 3-2 victory (5-3 on aggregate).
When asked about the goal in the post-match press conference, Thailand coach Masatada Ishii described it as "a beautiful strike." His comment sparked mixed reactions among Thai fans.
On the fanpage of Thai newspaper Siam Sports, user Ton Mye commented: "The goal was beautiful but it raised questions about fair play."
"It's not fair play," another user added.
Korat, a fan, expressed their dissatisfaction: "Supachok helped Thailand lead 2-1, but what came next? Karma. First a red card, then hitting the crossbar."
However, others defended Ishii's response. Noot Chomphoonut wrote: "The coach answered intelligently. What else could he say? Criticize Supachok?"
Supachok Sarachat's controversial goal against Vietnam in their 3-2 victory over Thailand in the 2024 ASEAN Cup final's second leg, Jan. 5, 2025.
On the fanpage of Thairath Sport, several fans agreed with this sentiment. Some even said that Vietnam players could never score such a goal like Sarachat.
Chukwan Jaipitak wrote: "That goal was really beautiful, very rare."
Another commented: "The coach's response was sharp and to the point."
Some argued that Thailand should have returned the ball to Vietnam, while others pointed out that the referee had allowed the play to continue and the goal was legit.
The refereeing is also a hot topic after the game, with fans implied that the referee sharing the nationality with Vietnam's head coach Kim Sang-sik could have affected his judgement.
On forum ASEAN Football, a fan wrote: "From the moment I saw a South Korean referee was assigned to this match, I knew Thailand would lose. Why assign a South Korean to officiate a game that has Vietnam?"
Ekarin Thongprang, a fan, suggested investigating the referee for alleged bias, while account Pinij Sport Wongpensook wrote: "I've never complained about referees, but I can't stay calm after this match. The referee ignored five fouls by Vietnam."
User Thammasom Nidchy added: "To be fair, I think the ref shouldn't have given Thailand player a red card."
Amid the controversy, some fans extended an olive branch to Vietnamese supporters.
Account Tony S Spacestation wrote: "On behalf of Thai football fans, I apologize for the mistake in that goal and congratulate Vietnamese fans."
Newspaper Thairath was satirical, stating: "Koh Hyung Jin, the South Korean referee, was voted 'best player' by fans. His face appeared confused. The entire VAR team were also South Korean."
