On the evening of January 5, the Vietnamese team played Thailand again in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok). Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won 3-2 against their opponents to win the championship.
After the tournament ended, the controversy surrounding the final match continued. In particular, Supachok's goal to make the score 2-1 was considered to lack fair-play.
This midfielder's personal page received a series of negative reactions, forcing him to temporarily block access and comments.
Recently, Supachok Sarachat explained the goal in the ASEAN Cup finals 2024.
The 1998-born star said: "I would like to take this opportunity to explain the issues related to last night's controversial goal. As a professional player, I never intended to play football unfairly.
At that time, our team was attacking strongly, but I was kicked by the opponent player and fell to the ground. I thought it was a serious foul play and the opponent player should have received a yellow card. So I asked the referee to review the situation through VAR.
I did not know that while I was complaining to the referee, the Vietnamese team kicked the ball out of play to support the injured player. Due to disappointment with the referee's decision, combined with emotional stress, after the game resumed, I instinctively kicked the ball into the net from a pass from my teammate.
Immediately, the Vietnamese players ran to complain to me. I tried to explain to everyone that I was not aware of the situation that happened when I was affected by the referee's decision.
As a professional player, throughout my career, I have never intended to commit unsportsmanlike conduct. This incident happened only because of my misunderstanding.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Vietnam team on their victory last night and I look forward to playing with you again."
Regarding the controversial situation, in the 64th minute of the match, the home team scored a goal to increase the score to 2-1 after Supachok scored from outside the penalty area. However, before that, the Vietnamese player proactively pushed the ball out when his teammate was on the field. Supachok did not return the ball but instead kicked the ball into the goal.
Therefore, the Vietnamese team reacted strongly, talking to the main referee Ko Hyung Jin to explain. But because according to the law, this goal was valid, the "King in Black" had no choice but to recognize Thailand's goal.
