Thailand U23 coach makes surprising statement when facing Indonesia

(Dan Tri) - Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul of Thailand U23 is very confident despite having to face championship candidate Indonesia U23 in the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian U23 tournament.

Highlight U23 Thailand 0-0 U23 Myanmar

Thailand U23 drew 0-0 with Myanmar U23 in the final match of Group C of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship. This result helped the “War Elephants” win the top spot in the group. They will face Group A winner Indonesia U23 in the semi-finals.

Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul said that the fact that Thailand U23 faced Indonesia U23 was lucky (Photo: FAT).

This is a reunion that promises to create many emotions. U23 Thailand lost 1-3 to U23 Indonesia in the semi-finals of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament. Then, they continued to fall 2-5 to the team from the archipelago in the final of the 2023 SEA Games. Even after this match, the two teams fought, creating a horrifying scene.

Despite not having a good record against U23 Indonesia, U23 Thailand is still very confident. Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul even affirmed that facing the team from the archipelago country was a lucky thing.

The head coach of Thailand U23 said: “Facing Indonesia U23 is a good thing for Thailand U23. I have talked to the players. The whole team really wants to face Indonesia U23. Playing against the home team will help us evaluate the strength and potential of the team. If we want to return to the championship, we need to overcome all opponents.

The entire U23 Thailand team is ready for the match with U23 Indonesia. We know that they are the top team in Southeast Asia. If we want to confirm our position as the number 1 team in the region, we need to win against such an opponent. U23 Thailand will learn from our mistakes and correct them. I think in the future, the team's potential will improve even more."

U23 Thailand has played disappointingly since the beginning of the tournament (Photo: FAT).

However, coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul still admitted that U23 Thailand was having problems. He added: “U23 Myanmar played very disciplined defense, making it difficult for us to penetrate the defense. U23 Thailand did not play really well, losing the ball quite a lot. But I think the team still played better than the first match because we controlled the ball better.

The players' physical recovery is what worries me. The whole team only has two days off. We need to prepare the best squad possible and help the players maintain their best physical condition before the match with U23 Indonesia."

The match between U23 Thailand and U23 Indonesia will take place at 8pm on July 25. Before that, at 4pm on the same day, U23 Vietnam will face U23 Philippines.

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-u23-thai-lan-tuyen-bo-bat-ngo-khi-dung-do-voi-indonesia-20250723125303752.htm