Tickets sold out within 2 hours – fans support the Thai title dream

Thailand will face arch-rivals Vietnam in the second leg of the 2024 Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup final on Sunday.

The War Elephants have their backs against the wall after losing 2-1 in the first leg at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho on Thursday night.

Brazilian-born Nguyen Xuan Son scored both goals for the Vietnamese before Thai central defender Chalermsak Aukkee scored.

Masatada Ishii’s men will need to win Sunday’s showdown at the Rajamangala National Stadium by two goals if they are to win their eighth ASEAN title.

“We lost the first leg in Vietnam due to poor defense and a few mistakes, but if we look at the details, the team didn’t make any big mistakes. We will try to reduce individual mistakes, improve and be ready for the game tomorrow (Sunday).

The Japanese tactician remained cautious about his team selection for today’s game.

“I can’t say who will play tomorrow, but every player will be ready. We are planning our tactics for the game and also practicing the penalty shootout,” he added.

Thailand will be without Akkrapong Pomwiset, who suffered an ankle injury in the first leg in Vietnam.

“Akkrapong is one of the main players in our midfield alongside Peeradol (Chamratsamee) and Weerathep (Pomphan), so his injury will have an impact on the team,” Ishii said.

Captain Peeradol Chamratsamee said team spirit remained high despite the first leg defeat in Vietnam.

“The players are recovering physically and trying to be at their best for tomorrow. Mentally, not everyone is sad about the result or under pressure. There is another game tomorrow, so let’s see if we can win it or not,” he told Peeradol.

“We had a team talk in the dressing room after the Vietnam game. I’ve already said what needed to be said. I hope everyone plays with confidence and goes out in front of a packed stadium tomorrow and returns the favor to the fans,” he added.

“Many thanks to the fans for their trust in the team. We will do our best tomorrow.”

Tickets for the game reportedly sold out within two hours when they went on sale Thursday.

“The 12th player is very important for the Thai national team and I am very happy about the strong support from the fans as the tickets were sold out in less than two hours. This shows that the fans have great confidence in the team,” said Nualphan Lamsam, president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT).

Sunday’s match, which kicks off at 8pm, will be broadcast live on Thai Rath TV, TrueSport 2, AIS Play and the BG Sports YouTube channel.