Despite winning 3-0 against an amateur team, the Thai team is still criticized.

On the evening of September 4, Thailand played the semi-final match of the King's Cup 2025. This national team completely outperformed Fiji, which is only ranked 150th in the world . Therefore, their 3-0 victory was not surprising.

In the 11th minute, Thailand took a 1-0 lead. Ekanit Panya broke through to the byline before passing the ball to Benjamin Davis. The English midfielder fired a right-footed shot into the net. Six minutes later, Thailand made it 2-0. Ekanit Panya was the initiator again. This time, he created the opportunity for Teerasak Poeiphimai to score.

Leading by 2 goals and with superior force, Thailand created countless chances. But they continuously missed with missed shots in the 31st and 38th minutes. It was not until the 47th minute that they scored the third goal. Pramesh Ajwilai volleyed the ball past the Fiji goalkeeper.

For the remaining 40 minutes, the game still belonged to the Thais. However, they could not score any more goals. The result was 3-0, although the difference was great, but it did not satisfy coach Masatada Ishii.

"After the game, I had a meeting with all the players because there is one thing we need to address immediately: finishing. We created a lot of chances in this game, but we couldn't finish them well. That's something we need to improve. If we don't perform well, we will definitely have problems," he said.

Siamsport also highlighted the opponent’s weaknesses to point out that the War Elephants’ recent performance was unconvincing. “There is no doubt that Fiji is inferior to our team in all aspects from physical strength, tactics, technique, and most importantly, fighting spirit,” the publication wrote.

Fiji international Tevita Waranaivalu is also a beach soccer player.

“In high spirits, Thailand played an all-out attack. But the players made many mistakes and missed many opportunities. Therefore, this victory cannot reflect the development of the Thai team.”

Coach Ishii and Siamsport have reason to complain about their team because Fiji is a modest team with a squad consisting of many players who have to do many jobs to earn a living. Striker Sairusi Nalaubu is a police officer, Tevita Waranaivalu plays beach soccer in addition to playing 11-a-side football. In addition, many Fijian players attending the King's Cup are students...

Therefore, Fiji is no different from an amateur team. And Thailand's 3-0 victory is not convincing enough. If they cannot improve the situation, Thailand will likely face many difficulties against Iraq in the final of the King's Cup 2025.