On the evening of January 2, the Thai team suffered a 1-2 defeat to the Vietnamese team in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final. Striker Nguyen Xuan Son scored both goals for Nguyen Xuan Son in this match. Meanwhile, Chamlermsak was the one who reduced the gap to 1-2 to keep the Thai team's hope alive in the second leg.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Thailand coach Masatada Ishii praised striker Nguyen Xuan Son of Vietnam. He said: "As everyone knows, Xuan Son is a quality player. Thailand made a mistake today and let this player score."
The defeat against Vietnam was the second time Thailand lost at the ASEAN Cup 2024. Before that, coach Ishii and his team lost 1-2 to the Philippines in the first leg of the semi-final on their home field. He also did not care that Thailand lost to Vietnam for the first time in 27 years and to the Philippines after 52 years.
Comparing these two defeats, Mr. Ishii said: "In the match against the Philippines, we lost 1-2 in the last minutes. In this match, we scored an equalizer and these are two completely different situations. In fact, both opponents have become stronger and more progressive over the years, I don't pay much attention to these figures.
Before today's match, the Vietnamese and Thai teams faced each other in September 2024 and Thailand was the winning team. Mr. Ishii assessed that the difference in the first leg of the final was the presence of Nguyen Xuan Son on the Vietnamese team.
The second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final will take place on January 5 at Rajamangala Stadium (Thailand).
