In this match, Thailand has the service of a star returning from Japan’s highest tournament (J-League 1), Supachok Sarachat. Meanwhile, the remaining player who is fighting in the land of cherry blossoms, Ekanit Panya, is not on the registration list.
The Philippine team caused a surprise at home
But unlike expectations, Supachok Sarachat, even though he was in the squad, still could not help the Thai team play better. One of the reasons is because the Golden Temple team has to play at Rizal Memorial Stadium. On artificial turf, Coach Masatada Ishii’s team’s knack for technical play and quick coordination could not be promoted. From there, Thailand’s handling near the penalty area could not be effective. Supachok Sarachat, Suphanat Mueanta… cannot promote their strongest points.
Against the Philippines team, Thailand even had to play lurking and wait for an opportunity to attack in the first half. The home team played very well in the first half of the match. They even controlled the ball more and created more dangerous opportunities than Thailand in more than 45 minutes of the first half. Whatever happened, the Philippines had the opening goal after 22 minutes of play. . Reyes was the one who filled in his name on the electronic board, giving the home team the lead. Notably, this goal is similar to the goal the Philippines scored against the Vietnamese team. Reyes dribbled the ball into the middle and fired a decisive shot from the edge of the penalty area to beat the Thai goalkeeper. The Golden Temple team brought the match back to the starting line right at the end of the first half, when Bureerat leveled the score 1-1 in the 45th minute. However, that was not enough for coach Ishii’s team to win. win points at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Thai team played explosively in the second half. “War Elephants” tried to find a goal with continuous attacks. However, the Philippines played very fiercely and played tenacious defense. Suphanat Mueanta and his teammates tried very hard but were stuck in finding a way to the Philippines’ net.
The shock happened in the 90+5 minute when the Philippine team scored the final score of the match. Kike Linaras played the role of the home team’s “hero”, scoring the second goal to help the Philippines win the final match with a score of 2-1. This result helps the Philippines hold a big advantage before the semi-final second leg against Thailand at Rajamangala Stadium on December 30.
When returning home, the Thai team will be much more dangerous. After the results in the first leg, Thailand must win by a difference of 2 goals or more to qualify for the final.
