Thailand U-19 Coach Praises Team's Struggle Despite Victory With Luck

A number of Thai U-19 players celebrated after beating Australia 1-0 in the ASEAN U-19 Boys Championship semifinal match at the Surabaya GBT Stadium, (photo: dock.)

JAKARTA - Thailand U-19 National Team coach, Eduardo Pereira Da Silva, admitted that his team had a bit of luck after winning 1-0 against Australia in the semifinals of the AFF U-19 Cup at the Surabaya GBT Stadium on Saturday afternoon, July 27. Despite playing with ten people in the second half, Thailand managed to hold Australia until the end of the match.

"I am very proud of my players. They fought hard today. A little lucky. However, they fought until the end. So, I am very proud," said Eduardo Pereira in a press conference after the match.

Eduardo added that although his team played with a shortage of players, they were still able to create several chances that almost resulted in additional goals. "We have a chance to score goals," he said.

Towards the final round, Eduardo stated that his team would analyze the match between Indonesia and Malaysia in preparation. "We will conduct an analysis of the match with the staff," he added.

Thailand U-19 player Pikanet Laohawiwat also expressed his gratitude to all those who have supported his team. "I thank the coaches, staff, friends, and all those involved until they reach the final round. Next, let's fight together to win as a team," said Pikanet.

Meanwhile, Australia U-19 coach Trevor Morgan regretted the mistakes his team made so he had to lose 0-1 to Thailand. "We made a mistake and that's what the players will learn today, at this level," Morgan said.

As an evaluation step, Morgan stressed the importance of his team to be better at creating and taking advantage of existing opportunities. "We need to create and take advantage of good opportunities," he said.

Morgan also added that his team will focus on third-place fighting games and try new ideas to improve their performance. "I think there are lots of games where we have good ideas and good control, and we will try to improve our ability to take advantage of them in the next game."