The two teams, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, had tickets to continue before entering this confrontation. Therefore, coaches Masatada Ishii and Mancini proactively fielded the reserve team.
However, that does not mean that the two teams’ determination to win has decreased. They gave the audience a very good match even though no goals were scored.
In this match, the referee denied goals from players of both teams four times (twice for each side). Saudi Arabia alone also had one unsuccessful penalty kick attempt.
Thailand showed discomfort in this match. Under coach Masatada Ishii, the War Elephants played very defensively. They excellently kept the net intact under the terrible pressure of Saudi Arabia.
With the draw with Saudi Arabia, Thailand won the ticket to continue with second place in Group F with 5 points. They will face Uzbekistan in the eighth round.
The above result also helps Thailand establish two milestones. They won the most points in the group stage in the history of participating in the Asian Cup (5 points). In addition, Thailand also kept a clean sheet for the first time in the group stage.
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