Praweenwat gets support after big miss
Play
Praweenwat Boonyong received an avalanche of online support from his national teammates after the Bangkok Glass player missed a penal
With his side trailing 10 against the Koreans at the deserted Rajamangala National stadium, the 25-year-old defender stepped up to take the spot kick but saw his tame effort saved by the keeper late in the first half.
The Thai team then went on to miss a host of chances before succumbing to a moralesapping defeat, just days before they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign at the same venue against Vietnam in the opening Group F match.
After the North Korea match, Thai players took to social media to post messages of support for Praweenwat, who was the first on the list of the Thai team’s penalty takers even though he was a defender. “Win together, lose together as a team,” star midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin wrote on his Facebook page with hashtag#no one never makes a mistake however good they are.
“Cheer up! Don’t be stressed. [When we lose ] lose as a team, [when we win] win as a team. We take responsibility together. Everyone can make a mistake. Just try it again,” read a comment by Buriram United left back Theerathon Bunmathan.
National coach Kiatisak Senamuang said his side has room for improvement before they embark on the campaign in the World Cup qualifiers, where they also face Taiwan, Indonesia and group favourites Iraq.
“North Korea are a strong team. They kept it really tight at the back. This game was a lesson for our team that when we play at continental level we will be punished whenever we make a mistake.
“We had four or five scoring opportunities but were unable to take all of them. We need to correct this. We’ve played unfancied opponents in the past so getting a chance to play such a strong team will give our team the experience. We can use this kind of game to measure ourselves,” said the 41-year-old former national striker. Kiatisak also declined to criticise Praweenwat for spurning a golden opportunity to at least get back into the match.
“We have an order for penalty takers. He [Praweenwat] is number one, Mui [Teerasil Dangda, Muangthong United striker] second and Aum [Theerathon] third. He’s our firstchoice taker since SEA Games in 2013. When he converts it, we celebrate with him. No one wants to miss it.
“He probably wanted to redeem himself after making a mistake and conceding a goal. When it didn’t go in, it completely shattered him. It was like rubbing salt into the wounds. Nevertheless, the keeper deserved credit for making the save. He has a lot of experience, having played a lot of games at this level,” said Kiatisak.
