Thailand coach readies for penalty shootout in second leg of ASEAN Cup final with Vietnam

At a press conference on Saturday, Ishii reflected on Thailand’s defensive mistakes in the first leg, letting Son score both of Vietnam’s goals.

"Failing to mark player number 12 was the biggest issue in that match," Ishii said.

The Japanese coach noted that his team have used the past day to rest and analyze their performance in preparation for the second leg at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday to avoid making the same errors.

Despite the defeat in the first leg, Ishii expressed confidence that Thailand can overturn the one-goal deficit, especially with the support of approximately 50,000 home fans.

In the semifinals, Thailand lost 1-2 away to the Philippines but secured a 3-1 comeback victory at home to advance. History also recorded Thailand’s many comebacks at the ASEAN Cup, such as their 2016 victory, where they rebounded from a 1-2 away loss to Indonesia with a 2-0 home win.

"We will give everything to defend the championship and our pride when playing in front of the home fans," Ishii stated. "But since the away goals rule doesn’t apply in this tournament, we must be ready for all scenarios, including the possibility of a penalty shootout."

Under Ishii’s leadership, Thailand lost to the Philippines for the first time in 52 years and they were defeated by Vietnam at an official tournament after 17 years. However, the Japanese coach downplayed these stats and focused instead on recovery and finding solutions to improve the team’s overall performance.

The second leg kicks off at 8 p.m. on Sunday (Hanoi time) and will be reported live on VnExpress International.