Thailand coach apologizes for historic loss to Philippines

Coach Masatada Ishii during the post-match press conference at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Philippines on Dec. 27, 2024. Photo by FAT

The first leg, held at Rizal Memorial Stadium on Friday, saw Sandro Reyes give the Philippines an early lead in the 21st minute. Suphanan Bureerat equalized just before halftime, but Thailand's defensive error during a set-piece in the fifth minute of injury time allowed Kike Linares to score the winner for the hosts.

The defeat broke Thailand's unbeaten streak against the Philippines, which had stretched over 21 matches since 1972, including 19 wins.

"I apologize for this result," Ishii said at the post-match press conference. "I wasn’t aware of the statistic that Thailand have never lost to the Philippines in this tournament, but Southeast Asian football is unpredictable as winning and losing can happen at any time."

Just two months earlier, Thailand defeated the Philippines 3-1 at the 2024 King’s Cup, with goals from Chanathip Songkrasin and Suphanat Mueanta. However, that match was played on natural grass, while the match on Friday was held on artificial turf, the same pitch where the Philippines nearly beat Vietnam in the group stage.

Despite this, Ishii refused to blame the pitch for the loss. Thailand dominated possession with 58%, took 14 shots and created six clear chances but managed to score only one goal.

"The team made mistakes and must review why those errors occurred," Ishii said. "We will analyze the match thoroughly, fix the issues and perform better in the second leg."

He added: "After conceding the first goal, the team remained composed. We followed our tactics well in the second half but conceded from a direct free kick. It may have been due to substitutions. I will carefully evaluate the lineup for the next match."

Ishii also praised his players for their commitment of giving 100% effort to the national team, both in training and matches. He is confident in Thailand's ability to overturn the result in the second leg and secure a spot in the final.

The second leg will kick off at 8 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, a day after Vietnam and Singapore's semifinal second leg at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho Province.

 

 

Thailand coach apologizes for historic loss to Philippines

Diễn biến chính trận Philippines 2-1 Thái Lan