Football
Nicolas Anil 7y

Thailand's Kiatisuk dedicates AFF Cup SF win over Myanmar to late King

Thailand head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang dedicated the 2-0 AFF Suzuki Cup first-leg semifinal win over Myanmar to their late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who would have turned 89 on Monday.

The beloved monarch, who sat on the throne for 70 years, died on Oct. 13, sending the Southeast Asian nation into mourning.

Since his death, Thailand's footballers are unbeaten in five matches, having scored 10 goals while conceding only three.

Against Mynamar on Sunday night, Teerasil Dangda's brace on either side of half-time puts the defending AFF champions in the driving seat, ahead of the return-leg at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on Thursday.

It was a well-deserved victory for the Thais, who bossed most of the game to give a nation, still in mourning, something to cheer about.

"Today's win is dedicated to our late King whose birthday is [on Monday], and also for our newly crowned King (King Rama X)," said Kiatisuk, as quoted by Sports247.my.

Despite easing off possession in the latter stages, Thailand peppered Myanmar's goal with 15 attempts, including nine on target.

The hosts tried to rally, but were denied by poor finishing, and a couple of good saves from by Kawin Thamsatchanan.

"We had our chances and scored, but it is still not finished yet. Maybe [Myanmar] were under pressure, but I believe they could be better in the next game," said Kiatisuk.

Teerasil's brace takes him to five goals in the tournament, ahead of Indonesia's Boaz Solossa on three. Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise was disappointed by the loss, and blamed defeat on individual mistakes, despite a gutsy display.

"I told the players when they had a chance, take a shot and not pass it on to another player. The Thais were a better team, they have high quality players which we don't have. We made mistakes and paid for it."

Indonesia winger Andik Vermansyah, meanwhile, wants his side to beef up their defence as they gear up to defend a 2-1 advantage over Vietnam in the return leg at the My Dinh National Stadium on Wednesday.

Solossa's second-half penalty separated the sides in an entertaining encounter on Saturday, but Vietnam had enough chances to score after going behind.

With the backing of the home support, the Golden Stars are expected to dominate the Merah Putih, who left gaping holes in defence during crucial stages.

"We shouldn't be satisfied, because the match in Vietnam will be a tough one. We still need to improve on our defence, but we are confident of going through to the final," said the Selangor star.

The two-legged final will take place on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.

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