Thailand makes history with World Cup ticket

The 3-2 victory helped the Southeast Asian team secure one of three spots to attend the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Philippines 2025 - the first women's World Cup in futsal history.

Coach Thanatorn Santanaprasit's team, which had twice finished third in previous tournaments, had to fight bravely to win after losing an early lead.

Thailand made history at the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup2025 by defeating hosts China in a dramatic match to reach the final.

After a few tentative minutes, Thailand began to control the game. Sangrawee Meekham forced goalkeeper Liu Danping to dive and save, then Nattamon Artkla shot over the bar shortly after.

Liu continued to catch a low shot from Sangrawee, while Jenjira Bubpha's shot went wide. On the other side of the front line, Sasiphrapa Suksen easily cleared shots from Su Jiahong and Jiang Xiaoyu.

The pressure finally paid off for Thailand, despite the efforts of goalkeeper Liu. After she brilliantly blocked Arriya Saetoen's deflected shot and Jenjira's powerful volley, Liu was left helpless when Hataichanok Tappakun's corner kick hit Zou Yinglan's foot and went straight into the net (11th minute, own goal).

Trailing for the first time in the tournament, China came back strongly and scored a shocking two goals in just 12 seconds. A foul by Sasiphrapa was intercepted by Fan Yuqiu and she fired a powerful shot into the left corner to tie the score in the 16th minute. Shortly after, Cao Jiayi scored the rebound after Liu's power play shot.

Tragedy continued for Thailand when with only 18 seconds left in the first half, goalkeeper Sasiphrapa received a straight red card for fouling Su while she was facing and trying to get past the goalkeeper.

In the second half, Jiang headed the ball against the crossbar after Liu's accurate long pass, while Ke Yaoxiang was blocked by goalkeeper Nuengruthai Sorahong in a one-on-one situation.

But China could not maintain the advantage. In the 26th minute, a home team player used his hand to block Jenjira's shot in the penalty area, and Jenjira himself successfully converted the penalty kick to tie the score at 2-2.

With high spirits, Thailand continued to dominate and re-established the lead in the 32nd minute. Arriya dribbled down the left wing, fired a low shot that hit Zhan Huimin and flew straight into the net.

In the final minute, goalkeeper Nuengruthai made a superb save from Zhang Rui's shot, keeping the score at 3-2 for Thailand and sending them into the final against Japan or Iran on Saturday.

The final whistle sounded amid loud cheers from Thailand. Coach Thanatorn emotionally shared: “I am very proud of the players. This match had a lot of pressure, so I just told them to stay calm and do exactly what they have practiced.

During the break, I advised the team to be patient and stay confident, even though they had to play with one less player. Wait for the right moment to counterattack.”

Meanwhile, China coach Hu Jie could not hide his regret but still praised his players: "First of all, I want to thank the players for fighting with all their might. We are a young team, but our bravery when facing a strong team like Thailand is something to be proud of.

Of course, we still lack experience in big matches. Especially our attacking ability in the second half was not really sharp, we need to improve that and be more confident when holding the ball."

Tiger

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/thai-lan-viet-nen-lich-su-voi-ve-du-world-cup-193680.htm