Thais stun China, enter quarter-finals
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Thailand's football team secured one of their most memorable victories when they upstaged China 2-0 to clinch a quarter-final berth at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, yesterday.
The hard-fought win over the Chinese at Ansan Wa Stadium underlined the Thais’ strong credentials, as they continued their unbeaten run at the Asiad, having topped their preliminary group with a perfect record.
Competing against the Chinese would have been seen as a daunting prospect in nearly all sports, but not football where China, regarded as sleeping giants, have been underachieving on the pitch for years since their first and only appearance at the World Cup finals in 2002.
With the Thais riding the crest of a wave following a thumping 6-0 win over Indonesia in their last group match, it appeared an upset was on the cards. They looked the better side in the opening half and the game swung in their favour when China were reduced to 10 men following Yang Ting’s dismissal in the 33rd minute.
Adisak Kraisorn emerged as a hero with his second-half brace, which included a spectacular volley on the turn to open the scoring soon after the restart. The Thais will next meet Jordan in the last eight on Sunday.
