Thailand out to tame Lions
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Captain Panupong confident hosts can overcome deficit against Singapore to win fourth Asean title
Three-time champions Thailand need to show more than courage if they want to claim a lion’s scalp when coach Winfried Schaefer’s men take on Singapore in the second leg of the Asean Championship final today.
After their 3-1 mauling in the Lions’ den on Wednesday, Thailand now need to rebound with gladiatorial spirit if they are to end a decade-long wait for their fourth title.
A 2-0 triumph would be enough for the War Elephants to claim the trophy and break the deadlock between two sides tied on three title victories in the biennial tournament. However, should the Singaporeans score at the sold-out Supachalasai National stadium, the Thais would face a mountain in having to win by at least three goals.
Thailand need only look back to 2007, the last time the two sides met in the final, for a reminder of how difficult their task will be. That tie saw them fail to overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit as they slumped to a bitter 3-2 aggregate loss, which put the city state level with them on titles won.
History is also against Thai chances of reclaiming a title that has eluded them since 2002 – no team has ever overcome a deficit in the final of the tournament now known as Suzuki Cup.
But in the tournament’s top goal-scorer Teerasil Dangda (five goals), Thailand have a player who could tip the balance of the tie in their favour. And this is not the first time that veteran trainer Schaefer, whose CV includes an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2002 with Cameroon, has faced such a situation.
The German coach was at the helm of a Karlsruhe side down 3-1 to Valencia after the first leg of a Uefa Cup tie, but turned the table on their Spanish rivals by winning 7-0 at home to secure an incredible 8-3 aggregate victory in 1993.
The 62-year-old Schaefer is hoping Teerasil can emulate Edgar Schmitt’s scoring act, which saw him net four times on that memorable night for Karlsruhe, to help Thailand regain regional bragging rights.
“It is important now that the players are focused. We still have a second match to turn things around and maybe we can achieve a favourable outcome. The players can get back up and I have confidence that we can change things in the second leg.”
The loss of Panupong Wongsa, who has flourished in his new role as captain, after 25 minutes of the first leg to a back injury undeniably contributed to Thailand’s loss against Singapore.
The central defender is in line for a recall today after shaking off the problem, and is convinced his side are more than capable of overturning the two-goal deficit in front of a capacity home crowd.
“We are playing at home and everyone will run until they drop for the national team and the fans,” said Panupong. “We will play to our full capacity and cover the whole field.
“It is not a problem to win 2-0. That was the score against Malaysia,” said Panupong, referring to the second leg of the semi-final against Malaysia that saw Thailand secure a 3-1 aggregate win over the defending champions.
