Sirod tipped to make his MARK

The Ubon UMT United striker was included on website foxsportsasia.com’s list on the back of his solid display, which helped the Kingdom earn their first point in the last-12 Asian World Cup qualifying following a 2-2 draw with Australia at Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday.

The fact that the 23-year-old, nicknamed “Pipo”, was handed his first competitive start for the country in Tuesday’s Group B clash made his performance against 2015 Asian Cup winners Australia even more impressive.

“Chatthong is not the first choice striker for the team but offers something different. Powerful, good in the air and aggressive, the forward gives the likes of Chanathip Songkrasin something to aim at.

“Against Australia in World Cup qualification, ‘Pipo’ never stopped running, working and fighting to give the Socceroos back four a tough time and even had a chance to win the game.

“It would have been his first goal for his country but there will be more opportunities over the next few weeks,” the website said of the strong-built striker, who only made his debut for the Thailand in September when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 loss to Japan at home.     

Sirod himself was less than pleased with his own form against the 40th-ranked Socceroos even though the draw snapped the Thai team’s four-game losing streak in the decisive qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.      

“The game [gainst Australia] itself was really good. I think we deserved to claim all three points. Nevertheless, it’s a valuable point and a boost to our confidence.

“Before the game, I knew I would get a run out from the start but I tried to be my usual self, staying calm and focusing fully on the match. 

“I’m not satisfied with my performance. I rated it five out of 10 since there’s a lot more to do for me. In some moments, I needed to be more composed. That’s something I need to work on.”

Sirod said he really enjoyed the experience of playing alongside Muangthong United forward Teerasil Dangda, who grabbed a brace against Australia.

“I just think about how to help bro Mui [Teerasil’s nickname] play easily as much as possible and how to create space for him to play. I might not get the ball but I tried to draw Australian defenders out of position.  

“I’m glad to play alongside him. I used to wonder why he was so good. Now, I got the chance to play with him, I’m really happy.”

There is no doubt that Sirod is likely to get more opportunities to work in tandem with Teerasil when Thailand launch their title defence in the biennial tournament, starting with Group A opener against Indonesia tomorrow. Singapore and the Philippines are other opponents in the section.