On the evening of November 17, the Thai team had a 1-1 draw with the Lao team in a series of friendly matches before the 2024 ASEAN Cup (formerly known as the AFF Cup).
Although only using a squad with many young players and missing many key players, the Thai team is still rated much higher than the Lao team. However, the team nicknamed "War Elephants" encountered many difficulties and played deadlocked against Laos.
It was not until the 60th minute that the Thai team opened the scoring thanks to Seksan Ratree after an assist from Teerasak PoePhimai. However, just 9 minutes later, Laos captain Boonprachan Boonkong scored the equalizer with a beautiful long-range shot. Thailand's subsequent attacking efforts could not help them win and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
This result disappointed Thai football fans. A series of fans even heavily criticized the performance of coach Masatada Ishii and his team
"Laos has developed a lot, but Thailand is still stuck. The players are playing like they are stuck and they are almost united," said fan Nittipong Nawong.
"Now it's a draw with Laos, in the future we could lose to weaker teams than Laos if we don't change. The players only play for their salaries, not for the flag and shirt color," commented account Chawong Khunjan.
Many Thai fans are also concerned about their ability to defend their ASEAN Cup championship when the team only drew both of their November friendly matches (0-0 with Lebanon and 1-1 with Laos).
