To reach the quarterfinals, Thailand U23 must defeat Tajikistan, and at the same time wait for opponent Iraq to lose points to Saudi Arabia in the match taking place at the same time, at 10:30 p.m. on April 22 (Vietnam time).
If Iraq wins against Saudi Arabia with a minimum margin, Thailand U23 will be eliminated, no matter how big their victory over Tajikistan is.
However, before waiting for the right conditions from the match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia U23 Thailand needs to fulfill the necessary condition of defeating Tajikistan. Before kickoff, members of U23 Thailand showed their determination to defeat the Central Asian team.
Midfielder Natcha Promsomboon of U23 Thailand said: “In the match against Saudi Arabia (U23 Thailand losing 0-5) we saw our mistakes in defense. However, we must quickly forget that match and focus on the next match against Tajikistan.”
“We will try to defeat Tajikistan. The whole team has talked about keeping their position in defense. Thailand U23 needs to focus more. I hope Thai fans are still on our side.
Thai U23 Lan is not done with the U23 Asian Championship yet. We still have one more match and are determined to handle the final match in the group stage well,” Natcha Promsomboon added.
Meanwhile, coach Issara Sritaro of U23 Thailand spoke up: “It’s all wrong.” Thailand U23 team will fix the error there. We have considered our disadvantages. The heavy loss to Saudi Arabia is an experience for us to come back strongly in the next match against Tajikistan.”
“Thailand U23 has focused on physical recovery in recent days. Mentally, I encourage the players to focus on the next match. I believe that my players will confidently play well in the match against Tajikistan” coach Issara Sritaro.
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