U17 Thailand closed their journey at the 2026 U17 Southeast Asian Championship in a disappointing way when losing to U17 Laos 2-3 in the decisive match of the group stage. This result caused the Thai youth football representative to only get 3 points after 3 matches, ranked third in Group B and could not qualify for the semi-finals.
After the match, head coach Sirisak Yodyardthai publicly took responsibility for the team's performance. This coach apologized to Thai football fans, and admitted that the team had not achieved the professional goals set before the tournament.
Mr. Sirisak said he appreciated the support of fans for the players throughout the competition, but the results did not meet common expectations. On that basis, he decided to withdraw from the position of head coach after the tournament ended.
According to his sharing, his task at the Thai U17 team is only temporary. After the tournament ends, he will hand over all professional data related to the young players who have been monitored during the selection process to the technical department of the federation, in order to serve long-term training work.
In terms of expertise, the defeat against U17 Laos shows the limitations of U17 Thailand, especially in the ability to organize defense and the stability of the playing psychology. Although taking the lead twice in the decisive match, the team still let the opponent score two consecutive goals in the second half and reversed the game.
In the opposite direction, the victory helped U17 Laos win 7 points after the group stage, thereby topping Group B and winning the right to the semi-finals with a positively rated performance.
