Supachok's ungentlemanly goal was voted the most in AFF Cup
Báo Dân trí•07/01/2025
(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Supachok Sarachat's (Thailand) unsportsmanlike goal has topped the list of the best goals of the AFF Cup 2024. Many people voted for this goal as a form of mockery towards Supachok.
This is the goal Supachok scored against the Vietnamese national team in the 64th minute of the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final on the evening of January 5th, at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (Thailand). In this goal, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu intentionally threw the ball out of bounds after noticing a Vietnamese player injured and lying on the ground. The Thai team took the throw-in, the ball landed at Supachok's feet, and instead of returning the ball to the Vietnamese team as per fair play, Supachok shot the ball directly into the net, scoring for Thailand. Supachok (right) celebrates after scoring an unsportsmanlike goal against the Vietnamese national team (Photo: FAT). According to the rules, this goal was perfectly legitimate. However, in the spirit of fair play , it is very rare for a player to try to score a goal in such situations. That is why Supachok Sarachat faced strong criticism. Former Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Duong Vu Lam, when answering a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper about the negative impact of this goal, said: "Supachok, and the Thai team in particular, may have benefited from a goal, but because of that goal, the entire Thai team faced strong reactions, leading to their morale being shaken." "They were so shaken that they received a red card shortly afterwards, had to play with ten men, and ultimately lost. I believe that Supachok's unsportsmanlike goal was one of the reasons why Thailand played poorly in the following minutes and lost the match. Supachok should have passed the ball to the Vietnamese team instead of trying to score," Mr. Lam added. As of early this afternoon (January 7th), the voting percentage for this goal has surged to 75.88%, far surpassing all other goals on the list of the best goals of the AFF Cup 2024. This is a poll conducted on the tournament's official website. Supachok's goal made the second leg of the final unnecessarily tense (Photo: FAT). Interestingly, many people voted for Supachok Sarachat's goal as a form of sarcasm, subtly reminding the Thai player of the importance of fair play in sports . A day after the second leg of the AFF Cup final, Supachok explained his goal: "The goal was just a misunderstanding. I wasn't sure about the injury status of the Vietnamese player, nor did I pay attention to how the ball went out of bounds." "After the ball was put back in play, I thought the Thai team was attacking and I shot. When the Vietnamese player came to protest, I was confused because I didn't know what I had done wrong. At that point, I still didn't understand what had happened," Supachok continued. However, this explanation from the Thai midfielder was still not convincing enough for the majority of fans across Southeast Asia. According to accounts from several people present at the stadium, referee Ko Hyung Jin (from South Korea) approached the Thai team, expressing his opinion that they could return a goal to the Vietnamese team to ensure fair play. However, the Thai team then signaled their refusal. Also on the list of the best goals of the AFF Cup 2024 is the goal scored by Xuan Son to make it 2-0 in the first leg of the final on January 2nd, at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ). As of the afternoon of January 7th, this goal had received 23.62% of the votes. Voting percentages for the best goal of the AFF Cup 2024, as of the afternoon of January 7th.
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