Thailand U22 coach: Meeting Vietnam in the final is something we've always dreamed of.

TPO - After the narrow victory against U22 Malaysia, U22 Thailand coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul clearly expressed his satisfaction. He emphasized that bringing his team to compete against U22 Vietnam in a final match was something he had long desired.

Coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul of the Thailand U22 team.

"Regarding the final match against Vietnam, they are a strong team in ASEAN. We previously thought we would have a chance to meet Vietnam in the finals of tournaments. Because facing them is an opportunity for us to prove ourselves," said the 58-year-old coach.

"Last time we participated in the Southeast Asian U23 Championship, we lost to Indonesia in the semi-finals, so we couldn't meet them. This time we get to meet them. This is something I've always wanted. Our goal is to win the gold medal. If we want to return to the number one position in ASEAN, we have to face strong teams and overcome Vietnam U22."

In the semi-final match on the evening of December 15th, the U22 Thailand team could only secure a minimal victory despite taking an early lead and playing with a man advantage for 75 minutes. This result may not have satisfied Thai fans or media. However, coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul affirmed that he would be happy as long as they reached the final.

Thailand dominated the entire match but could only score one goal.

"In this match, we achieved our goal of reaching the SEA Games final. We are pleased to be getting closer to our objective. The management, the players, myself, and the fans all have only one goal: to win this SEA Games," said Coach Wang. "Malaysia is a quality team with excellent teamwork, which we must commend them for. Malaysia played well, even with only 10 men."

Regarding the plan for the match against Vietnam U22 on December 18th, coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul shared that the number one priority for Thailand U22 right now is to "recharge" the players' physical fitness because many players have been playing for both their clubs and the U22 national team during the SEA Games 33.

“For the final, we have a full squad with 23 players ready. Today, we will assess their recovery. Many players have been playing a lot. We are trying to reduce the workload for those who have just played in the national league over the past two days. We have to protect their bodies from injury. I believe that in the final, many will be in top form.”

Watch SEA Games 33, stand alongside the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-u22-thai-lan-gap-viet-nam-o-chung-ket-la-dieu-chung-toi-hang-mong-uoc-post1804960.tpo