The sadness of the U22 Thailand team after receiving the silver medal - Photo: NAM TRAN
Thai Football Association (FAT) President Madam Pang could only utter the words "heartbroken" to the Thai media after the country's U22 team suffered a painful defeat against Vietnam's U22 team in the men's football final of the 33rd SEA Games.
The pain of men's football
Thailand's efforts to regain regional dominance ended in disappointment. It was even an unwanted chapter in history, as the Thai U22 team failed to win the SEA Games gold medal on home soil for the first time in 50 years.
Thailand U22 took a 2-0 lead against Vietnam U22 in the first half. But in the second half, coach Kim Sang Sik's team staged a spectacular comeback. There are many reasons for Thailand U22's defeat at this SEA Games, but they can be summarized into two main causes: bad luck, lack of physical fitness, and the level of attention given to football in general.
Thailand's game plan was disrupted in the 29th minute when key defender Chanapach Buaphan was forced to leave the field due to injury. If this 1.90m tall defender had been available, the U22 Thailand team wouldn't have had so much to regret.
Furthermore, the physical fatigue of the players contributed to Coach Thawatchai's team being overtaken by Vietnam U22. This was a consequence of many key players having to balance playing for their clubs with playing for the Thailand U22 team. A prime example is Kakana Khamyok, the midfielder who had to play three matches in four days.
The SEA Games are not included in FIFA Days, so clubs have the right to refuse to release players. The Thai league also continues as normal while the 33rd SEA Games are taking place. Meanwhile, the Vietnam U22 team can assemble all its best players, as the national championships have been suspended, creating optimal conditions for Coach Kim Sang Sik's team to compete for the gold medal.
The sadness of the U22 Thailand team after receiving the silver medal - Photo: NAM TRAN
The sadness of women's football and futsal.
If men's football is a source of pain, then women's football is a source of sadness for Thailand. Since winning the SEA Games gold medal in Myanmar in 2013, defeating Vietnam in the final, the Thai women's team has been unable to claim the top spot again. Despite this, the Thai girls have reached the finals of the SEA Games three times in a row since then.
The disappointment was even greater for the Thai women's team at the 33rd SEA Games when they lost 2-4 to the Philippines in a penalty shootout and were eliminated early in the semi-finals. Compared to the U22 team, the Thai women's team was well-prepared, bringing together experienced players and a talented group of young players currently playing abroad.
The 33rd SEA Games was a failed tournament for Thai football - Photo: NAM TRAN
But the team led by veteran coach Nueangrutai Srathongvian still suffered a defeat. With only three months of training after replacing coach Futoshi Ikeda (Japan) before the 33rd SEA Games, Nueangrutai was unable to work miracles.
From playing in the Japanese style to switching to a domestic coach, Thai women's football has undergone constant transformation over the past 10 years – coinciding with periods of poor performance in the country.
Meanwhile, looking at Vietnam's women's football team's four consecutive gold medals from 2017 to 2023, the consistent coaching of coach Mai Duc Chung is clearly evident. Had it not been for the mistake of the Laotian assistant referee in the final against the Philippines, the Vietnamese women's team would have lifted the trophy for the fifth consecutive time.
Thailand's absolute dominance in futsal at the SEA Games for both men and women made their defeat even harder to swallow, especially considering it was on home soil. The Thai women's futsal team (ranked 8th in the world ) unexpectedly lost to Indonesia (ranked 18th) in a penalty shootout in the semi-final. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese women's futsal team (ranked 11th) easily defeated Indonesia 5-0 in the final to win the gold medal.
Thailand, the last remaining hope for a gold medal in the men's event (world No. 11), ultimately only secured a silver medal after a heavy 1-6 defeat against Indonesia (world No. 24) in the decisive match on December 19th, even though a draw would have been enough to claim the title. It was an inexcusable defeat, especially considering Indonesia had previously lost 0-1 to Vietnam (world No. 20).
The rise of Indonesian futsal was the reason for Thailand's defeat. But it wasn't the main reason. It seems that after dominating the region for a long time, Thailand had become complacent.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-da-thai-lan-vi-sao-that-bai-20251222054558333.htm
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