Scoring 3 goals in 5 minutes, Thailand U23 easily beat Singapore: They advance straight to the semi-finals as group winners.

With a 6-1 victory in their opening match against U23 East Timor, U23 Thailand had almost secured their place in the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33. However, in the final group stage match against U23 Singapore, coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul still surprised many by fielding almost the strongest possible lineup for U23 Thailand. Yotsakorn Burapha, after his hat-trick against U23 East Timor, continued to start. Meanwhile, midfield stars such as captain Sekson Ratree and midfielder Thanakrit Chotmuangpak, who had just returned from Thai League matches and were not yet fully fit, were also included in the starting XI.

Ghi 3 bàn trong 5 phút, thắng dễ Singapore: U.23 Thái Lan tiến thẳng bán kết với ngôi đầu- Ảnh 1. — Thailand U23 (in white shirts) still fielded a very strong lineup despite almost certainly securing a place in the semi-finals.

Despite fielding their strongest lineup, the young Thai players once again struggled in the first half. With the midfield duo of Sekson Ratree and Thanakrit Chotmuangpak, the U23 Thailand team dominated possession (nearly 70%). Crosses from both flanks, utilizing the movement and positioning of their forwards, were effectively employed by U23 Thailand, resulting in 9 shots (three times more than U23 Singapore). However, the effectiveness of their shots remained a problem, with only 2 attempts on target, both failing to beat U23 Singapore's goalkeeper Aizil Yazid.

Conversely, the Singapore U23 team proactively retreated deep, playing a defensive counter-attacking game. Coach Firdaus Kassim's change of formation, switching from a 3-4-3 to a 4-4-2, also helped the Singapore U23 team play much better than in their 1-3 defeat against East Timor U23. Not only did they keep a clean sheet, but in the 38th minute, Singapore U23 also gave Thai fans a scare when Junaidi curled a superb shot from outside the penalty area, hitting the crossbar.

Thailand U.23 explodes in the second half.

After a tough first half, the U23 Thailand team had to make several changes to their attack. The home team's effectiveness was immediate, as they scored three consecutive goals against U23 Singapore within the first five minutes of the second half.

Thailand U23 opened the scoring in the 49th minute through Siraphop Wandee. The number 11 player for Thailand U23 received the ball on the right wing and curled a shot into the top corner, giving the Singapore U23 goalkeeper no chance to save it. Meanwhile, Thailand U23's remaining two goals came after a brace from Yotsakorn Burapha in the 51st and 54th minutes respectively.

Ghi 3 bàn trong 5 phút, thắng dễ Singapore: U.23 Thái Lan tiến thẳng bán kết với ngôi đầu- Ảnh 2. — Yotsakorn Burapha continues to show high performance at the SEA Games 33.

Leading by three goals, the U23 Thailand team continued to attack relentlessly. In the second half alone, coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul's players had 18 shots on goal (double the number in the first half). However, U23 Thailand proved ineffective and failed to score any more goals against U23 Singapore.

Defeating Singapore U23 3-0, Thailand U23 earned 6 points after 2 matches, advancing to the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33 as group A winners. Since the start of the tournament, Thailand U23 has also demonstrated formidable strength, scoring 9 goals and conceding only 1. In contrast, Singapore U23 has 0 points, finishing last in Group A and being eliminated. East Timor U23, with 3 points and a goal difference of -3, finished second in the group.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ghi-3-ban-trong-5-phut-thang-de-singapore-u23-thai-lan-tien-thang-ban-ket-voi-ngoi-dau-185251211205651836.htm