In the first leg of the semi-final at Rizal Memorial Stadium, the Philippines defeated Thailand 2-1. This was the Philippines' first victory over their opponent in more than 50 years. In the second leg, Thailand will play at home. If they win by 2 goals, Thailand - the defending champion - will win a ticket to the final of the ASEAN Cup 2024.
"It's a pity that Thailand lost the first leg, so now we have to find a way to turn the game around. The things we did well, we will try to do better even though we don't have much time to practice.
The whole team reviewed the clip of the first leg of the semi-final and discussed the goals conceded with the whole team. Every player of the Thai team needs to try to improve to avoid conceding goals like in Manila. Our goal is to select the best players to help the team win at home.
We may have lost the match in Manila but if we look at the details of the match, we see bright spots that give the whole team confidence that we will have a good result at home,” said Thailand coach Masatada Ishii.
In the match on the evening of December 27, the Thai team conceded the second goal in the 90+5 minute, after a set piece. This is one of the weaknesses that the defending champion team should pay attention to in order to avoid making the same mistake in the return match.
Thailand's central defender Chalermsak Aukkee emphasized that he and his teammates are determined not to concede any more goals from set pieces.
"In the team meeting, the whole team reviewed the mistakes that caused us to concede a goal in the first match. After the first match against Timor-Leste, Thailand's opponents became stronger. The team has some new players, so the team's journey was not easy.
I noticed that the Thai fans were disappointed and sad after losing to the Philippines. The team members also felt the same way. We will try to win the second leg to reach the final, so I want a lot of fans to cheer for the team.
I remember in the first leg, the Philippines team was so happy that they cried. And in this match, we want them to lose their place in the final."
The last time Thailand met the Philippines in the ASEAN Cup semi-finals was in 2014. At that time, the "War Elephants" drew 0-0 away but won 3-0 in the second leg, thereby winning a ticket to the final and then winning the championship.
At the recent King's Cup 2024, the Thai team beat the Philippines 3-1.
The second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 semi-final between Thailand and the Philippines will take place at 8:00 p.m. today (December 30) at Rajamangala Stadium. The winning team will meet Vietnam in the final.
