Thailand's coach's reaction ahead of the final against Vietnam U22.

Mr. Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul affirmed that the Vietnamese U22 team is very strong, but the host nation Thailand's goal remains the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

Coach Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul and U22 Thailand players represented the team at the press conference before the final. Photo: Anh Tien .

“We topped our group, reached the semi-finals, won, and now we're in the final. I know the Vietnam U22 team is very strong, they are a good team. But precisely what I want is to beat a strong team like Vietnam to show that Thailand deserves to be champions,” Damrong-Ongtrakul emphasized at a press conference on the morning of December 17th, ahead of the SEA Games 33 men's football final in Thailand.

On their way to the final, the U22 Thailand team won all three matches, scoring 10 goals and conceding only one. They boasted the strongest attack and the most solid defense in the tournament. Naturally, U22 Thailand's ambition in the final was to lift the championship trophy at their home ground, Rajamangala Stadium.

That's something Thailand hasn't been able to do in the last three SEA Games. Their last victory was in 2017. At the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, Thailand lost to Indonesia U22 in the final.

Mr. Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul wants to help Thailand win the SEA Games again. Their last victory was in 2017. Photo: Anh Tiến.

Mr. Damrong-Ongtrakul continued: “Vietnamese youth football has developed strongly in recent years. This U22 team has a very well-organized system and strong physical fitness. Vietnam's number 7 player (Dinh Bac - PV) is a good player. I believe he is also being supported by a good system. We will build our system to stop him.”

The Thais are paying special attention to Dinh Bac because of the striker's excellent form. He has scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists since the start of the SEA Games, making a huge contribution to the overall gameplay of the Vietnam U22 team.

A U22 Thailand player attending the press conference shared: “U22 Vietnam is very strong, a team capable of high-pressure attacking play. We witnessed that at the U23 Southeast Asian Championship in Indonesia earlier this year. But Thailand has its strongest squad, fully recovered. We will play our best against U22 Vietnam.”

The final match tomorrow (December 18th) will take place at 7:30 PM at Rajamangala Stadium.

Source: https://znews.vn/phan-ung-cua-hlv-thai-lan-truc-chung-ket-voi-u22-viet-nam-post1612148.html