Thailand team lost to Syria
*Score: Somah 27, Khribin pen 57, Hallak 87 - Suphanat 45
Awarded $35,000 by team leader Nualphan Lamsam before the match, if they win, Thailand overwhelms Syria in the first half. They kept the ball up to 72% of the time, finishing 11 times, of which four phases were directed at goal. And Syria entered the match with a series of seven defeats when playing a recent friendly.
However, Syria opened the scoring from the mistake of the Thai defense. In the 26th minute, goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai failed to pass in the penalty area, was robbed by striker Omar Khribin to pass the ball to Omar Al Somah to score a goal.
Coach Mano Polking used this 4-2-3-1 formation, with the best players like Chanathip Songkrasin, Theerathon Bunmathan, Suphanat Mueanta or Supachok Sarachat. At the end of the first half, Thailand equalized 1-1 from the combination of these players. Chanathip passed to the left, letting Theerathon cross for Suphanat to finish close to the wall.
Syria is ranked 90th in FIFA, higher than any other Southeast Asian team. Despite being overwhelmed by the reigning AFF Cup champion, the West Asian representative still found the lead. In the 57th minute, goalkeeper Khammi rushed out unreasonably and fouled Somah, causing Thailand to be penalized. Striker Khribin took advantage of the opportunity to shoot 11m to increase the score to 2-1.
Thailand tried to risk finding an equalizer but had to pay the price with a third goal in the 87th minute, when Mohamad Al Hallak set the score. This is Thailand's first match since beating Vietnam in the AFF Cup final. Striker Teerasil Dangda is not on the Thai focus list this time around.
In the next match, Polking's teachers and students met the team ranked 70th in the world UAE, at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi city on the evening of March 28.
The Vietnamese team did not play any matches on the occasion of FIFA Days in March 2023. The team only focused for a short time from March 8 to March 12, before coach Philippe Troussie spent full time with Vietnam U23 to attend the Doha Cup friendly tournament in Qatar. Vietnam is still leading Southeast Asia at 96th FIFA position, while Thailand is 15 places lower.
