Thailand’s painful wait for the coveted SEA Games men’s football title was prolonged in dramatic fashion after they squandered a two-goal halftime lead to lose 3-2 in extra time to bitter rivals Vietnam in an action-packed final at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Thursday.
Having twice fallen at the final hurdle in the previous two editions of the biennial regional multi-sport tournament, Thailand—the most successful nation with 16 titles overall—looked firmly on course to end their eight-year drought after conjuring up an impressive 2-0 first-half lead.
However, their quest to reclaim the title the whole country craved unravelled dramatically after the interval, as Vietnam eventually snatched a memorable victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Thais’ miserable collapse means they have now gone four consecutive SEA Games without winning the men’s football title, since last lifting the trophy in 2017 in Kuala Lumpur.
Such is the lofty status the football crown commands among the public that many Thais would not have given a second thought to swapping the overall title the Kingdom has all but secured at the home Games for this most coveted prize.
The Young War Elephants’ campaign on home soil had been solid if not spectacular, typified by the laboured 1-0 semi-final win over Malaysia.
That left many fans approaching the final with a sense of trepidation as the hosts faced old foes Vietnam, who had left a scar by beating Thailand 1-0 at the Covid-delayed Games in Hanoi three years ago.
The hosts nevertheless began on the front foot and carved out an early opening when the game was barely two minutes old.
After narrowly failing to connect with a teasing Iklas Sanron cross from the left, captain Seksan Ratree retrieved the ball on the right side of the box but fired well over the crossbar.
After surviving the early scare, Vietnam gradually found their footing and the hosts struggled to break down their well-organised defence.
In the 20th minute, red-hot striker Yotsakon Burapha—leading the tournament’s scoring charts with six goals before the final—put Thailand ahead with a sublime 30-yard free kick that curled around the wall and into the bottom left corner, beyond the Vietnamese goalkeeper’s despairing dive.
It was the third time the powerful forward had scored from a set piece at the Games, ensuring he found the net in all four of Thailand’s matches.
With their tails up, the home side doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark when Kakana Khamyok released Seksan into acres of space on the right on the counter-attack.
The Buriram United man drifted inside before finishing with a precise left-footed strike from just outside the box.
Vietnam were visibly rattled and Thailand missed two gilt-edged chances in quick succession through Kakana and the lively Iklas to put the contest beyond doubt.
Moments after the restart, Vietnam clawed their way back when Thai goalkeeper Sorawat Phosaman brought down Nguyen Dinh Bac inside the box, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot.
The striker converted the penalty to give his side renewed hope.
The equaliser followed from a contentious moment. Sorawat was knocked to the ground while attempting to claim a corner before the ball was bundled over the line. The goal stood as the referee judged there was no foul on the Thai goalkeeper.
From then on, it was largely one-way traffic as Vietnam penned the hosts deep inside their own half. They went agonisingly close to taking the lead when a point-blank header from another corner crashed against the post.
In the dying minutes of regulation time, Sorawat redeemed himself with a superb reflex save to deny substitute Nguyen Thanh Nhan from close range, sending the match into 30 minutes of extra time.
The comeback was completed when Thanh Nhan reacted quickest to slide home the rebound after Sorawat had initially saved a shot from the left side of the box.
Despite a late attempt at a response, Thailand were unable to trouble Vietnam again as their rivals held firm to seal a stunning 3-2 victory and claim the men’s football title for the fourth time.
Earlier in the day, Malaysia secured the bronze medal with a narrow 2-1 victory over the Philippines in the third-place playoff.
