Thailand team barely beat Singapore thanks to familiar 'specialty': Coach Ishii's replacement is still full of worries

On the evening of November 13, despite an unconvincing performance, the Thai team still won 3-2 against Singapore in a friendly match thanks to the brilliance of their veterans.

Since taking over the Thai national team, replacing coach Masatada Ishii, Mr. Hudson has been under great pressure. Many Thai fans believe that the British coach's tactics are outdated and not suitable for Thai players, especially when the team is in a generational transition period. Despite that criticism, in the match against Singapore, Coach Hudson still called back many veterans such as Chanathip Songkrasin (32 years old), Theerathon Bunmathan (35 years old), Sarach Yooyen (33 years old). More surprisingly, they were all in the starting lineup, playing alongside players such as Mickelson, Pansa, Supachai or Ben Davis.

Notably, in the match between Thailand and Singapore at Thammasat Stadium, the Vietnamese referee team including Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha, Mr. Nguyen Lam Minh Dang, and Mr. Truong Duc Chien were also assigned to officiate.

Veteran Chanathip Songkrasin (18) was still given the opportunity to take photos with the Vietnamese referee team.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Thailand's 3 goals came from unstoppable long-range shots

But despite having many famous players on the field, the Thai team had an unconvincing performance in the first half. Many positions on the field of the home team did not play well, causing them to end the match with a 1-1 draw.

Right after the opening whistle, the Thai team continued to actively control the ball as usual. With Chanathip Songkrasin in the squad, the "War Elephants" used many short balls, mainly in the middle. This style of play was effective in the early stages of the match and in the 15th minute, Sarach Yooyen suddenly appeared right in front of the Singapore penalty area, unleashing a powerful shot to put the Thai team ahead 1-0.

However, after the opening goal, the Thai team suddenly lost the game to Singapore. Just 2 minutes after Sarach Yooyen's goal, the match was brought back to balance when Kweh broke through and easily scored the equalizer 1-1 for the Singapore team.

Not stopping there, in the second half of the first half, the Singapore team created many dangerous counter-attacks, causing the Thai goal to be shaken. In the 33rd minute, Nakamura almost helped Singapore score a second goal. Unfortunately, at a distance of more than 15 meters, the Japanese midfielder's extremely powerful kick hit the crossbar.

Sarach Yooyen's goal (6) was a rare bright spot that the Thai team showed in the first half.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

After the break, the Thai team had to make many changes in midfield. Coach Hudson's choices also immediately took effect when the Thai team regained control of the game, scoring 2 consecutive goals from their familiar "specialty" of long-range shots, leading Singapore 3-1.

In the 47th minute, Theerathon Bunmathan suddenly appeared on the right wing, unleashing an incredible low shot from a distance of more than 20 meters, helping Thailand score their second goal. Meanwhile, the third goal of the “War Elephants” was scored in the 53rd minute, also from an extremely difficult shot outside the penalty area. This time, the one who brought joy to Thai fans was young striker Ratree.

Leading 3-1, the Thai team played leisurely, sending more young players onto the field. On the opposite side, the Singapore team pushed up their attack but had difficulty approaching the opponent's goal. What the Lion Island team did in the remaining time was to reduce the score to 2-3 thanks to Kweh in the 62nd minute.

Although not playing convincingly, the Thai team still won against Singapore.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

After the victory over Singapore, the Thai team will continue to practice at Thammasat Stadium. Then, on November 18, Coach Hudson and his team will face Sri Lanka in the 5th round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. On the opposite side, the Singapore team will also have 5 more days to prepare before meeting the Hong Kong team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-thai-lan-thang-nhoc-singapore-nho-dac-san-quen-thuoc-nguoi-thay-hlv-ishii-con-day-noi-lo-185251113212821474.htm