South-East Asian giants Thailand and Vietnam were in action yesterday for their respective opening matches of the 2018 Asian Games.
The War Elephants found themselves in Group B alongside Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Qatar, facing the latter in the first round of fixtures.
A lengthy injury list forced coach Worawoot Srimaka to rotate his starting lineup ahead of the opener. Central midfielder Rattanakorn Maikami deputized at right-back, while left-winger Chaiyawat Buran dropped into left-back as the Thais faced a well disciplined and technically capable Qatar side.
The Middle Eastern outfit opened the scoring just five minutes in when a chipped ball from Nasser Ibrahim found Hazem Shehata, who caught the Thai defense out with an excellent aerial touch before sliding the ball past Nont Muangngam in the Thai net.
The Qataris maintained their grip on the game after scoring the opener, but it slowly began to wane as their opponents grew into the game. Most of Thailand’s chances fell to the feet of captain Chenrop Samphaodi, who was unable to find the net. Winger Tanasith Sripala and center-midfielder Sansern Limwattana have drawn praise for their excellent performances, whereas the expected breakout superstars Supachok Sarachart and Worachit Kanitsribampen are yet to make their mark on the competition.
With the forward line lacking a cutting edge, coach Worawoot opted to call upon Buriram United attacker Supachai Jaided in the second half, to play in the attacking midfield role which he has starred in for his club side this season. The substitute would eventually get on the score-sheet in stoppage time, converting a cross from Tanasith with a powerful header to earn a point for Thailand, leaving the group perfectly poised ahead of the second round of games.
Vietnam signaled their intention to put on another impressive showing at the Under-23 level after their excellent run to the final of the AFC U-23 Championships in China earlier this year. With the likes of Japan looming over the horizon in Group C, Vietnam made quick work of Pakistan in a resounding 3-0 victory.
The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute when a link-up between Nguyen Cong Phuong and Quang Hai resulted in the latter finding the net. 20 minutes later, captain Nguyen Van Quyet beat the Pakistani goalkeeper from the edge of the box to give his side a comfortable lead going into the break. The dominant South East Asian outfit would eventually score their third, courtesy of Cong Phuong in the 72nd minute to put the result well beyond doubt.
Elsewhere, South East Asian minnows East Timor were put to the sword by China, who eventually ran out 6-0 winners with five of their goals coming in the first half.