Shocking loss to Philippines, Thailand pushed into a corner

(Dan Tri) - Thailand unexpectedly lost 1-2 to the Philippines in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-final. This result pushed the "War Elephants" into a corner in the second leg.

Thailand is full of confidence entering the match against the Philippines at Rizal Memorial Stadium in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-finals. The "War Elephants" are the only team to have won all the matches in the group stage of this tournament. However, coach Masatada Ishii's team encountered many pitfalls during their away match at the Philippines' stadium. The home team played a very pressing game. That made it difficult for Thailand. Not only that, the Philippines also scored the opening goal in the 20th minute with a beautiful long-range shot from Sandro Reyes.

The sadness of Thai players after losing the match (Photo: FAT).

In the following minutes, Thailand continued to press. By the 44th minute, they had brought the match back to the starting line after an exemplary counter-attack. Full-back Suphanan Bureerat scored to help Thailand level the score at 1-1. In the second half, Thailand had a complete advantage over the Philippines. The away team continued to press the opponent, but the Philippines played a brave pressing game. They blocked many attacks from Thailand. Coach Masatada Ishii even replaced the entire Thai attack to refresh. It seemed that the match would end in a 1-1 draw, but tragedy struck Thailand in the 90+5 minute. From a free kick, a Philippine player headed the ball into the middle. Kike Linares flew to head the ball into the Thai net, sealing a 2-1 victory. With the defeat on the Philippines' field in the first leg, Thailand was forced to win the rematch with this opponent on December 30 at Rajamangala Stadium.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/thua-soc-philippines-thai-lan-bi-day-vao-the-chan-tuong-20241227193309645.htm