Coach Kiatisak wants to prove people wrong
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National football team coach Kiatisak Senamuang tried to put on a brave face following the draw for the last-12 round of the Asia’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers that put his 119th-ranked side in Group B along with Asian champions Australia, Japan, Saudi Arab
The draw for the decisive round of the Asian qualifying for the finals in Russia was conducted at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur with Somyot Poompanmuang, the president of the Football Association of Thailand, among the audience.
In the third and final qualifying round, the 12 teams were split into two groups of six, with the Thai side, being handed a formidable challenge than the previous round where they finished top of the group with unbeaten record.
The Thais, who reached the last-12 round for only the second time, will begin their campaign with a trip to Saudi Arabia on September 1 before hosting regional powerhouse Japan five days later.
The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the 2018 World Cup, while the thirdplaced teams face off each other for a spot in the twolegged intercontinental playoff with a team from CONCACAF region for a berth in Russia.
The 42yearold Kiatisak was under no illusion of the task lying ahead.
“Without question, it’s a difficult challenge for us. But, it isn’t beyond what we had expected. The games against Australia and Japan are surely the most difficult ones because there is the gap between those two sides and us. As for three Middle East teams, I would say we’re ready to face all of them.
“I want to prove people wrong. We need to focus on each game and try to take something from every match we play. We have to do a lot of homework,” said the former national striker.
