Southeast Asian titans Thailand and Indonesia partake in two friendlies this week, with the Changsuek taking on Bahrain at the BG Stadium on Tuesday and the Timnas Garuda challenging Bangladesh at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on Wednesday. The two ASEAN powerhouses earn contrasting results, with Thailand succumbing to a last-gasp goal that sealed a 2-1 defeat while Indonesia were left frustrated as they were unable to crack open their opponents, with their match ending in a goalless stalemate.
Having beaten Turkmenistan 1-0 on Friday, Thailand took on Bahrain to prepare for the upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The Changsuek made the perfect start at the BG Stadium after Bordin Phala was fouled in the box in the 4th minute. Teerasil Dangda, who was tasked with the ensuing penalty, did his job superbly to give the hosts the lead.
However, Bahrain roared back by scoring their equalizer in the first minute of stoppage-time, with Ibrahim Al-Khatal beating Kittipong Phuthawchueak from close-range. The Gulf nation then took command of proceedings in the second half, outmatching their Thai counterparts as they scored the winner in the first minute of injury-time thanks to Sayed Issa.
Thailand head coach Alexandre Mano Polking was naturally disappointed by this result, stating to Bangkok Post, “It was a pity that we could not win the match. We conceded a goal at the end of each half. This means we lost concentration. We are disappointed that we did not win, but losing today is better than losing in Uzbekistan (where Thailand will play their Asian Cup qualifiers).”
Meanwhile, at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Indonesia took on Bangladesh in their only friendly before the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. Shin Tae-yong’s men were dominant throughout the match, threatening Bangladesh’s goal through the likes of Fachrudin Aryanto, Stefano Lilipaly, and Saddil Ramdani.
Unfortunately for Indonesia, despite Bangladesh’s defense having their off-moments here and there, they had to face off against an inspired Anisur Rahman in the Bangladeshi goal. The Bashundhara Kings goalkeeper was in fine form between the sticks, thwarting numerous attempts from the Indonesians and effectively keeping the visitors in the game.
Bangladesh’s back-line also had their bright moments, often nullifying any Indonesian attack coming down from the wings. The South Asians managed to soak up the pressure from Indonesia and often attempted to strike back through counters, which thankfully was thwarted by Indonesia’s own defense.
In the end, there were no winners in the match, and the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Tae-yong, understandably disappointed by the result and knowing of the high expectations that the Indonesian supporters are putting on their national team for the match, publically apologize for his team’s failure to win.
“We’re playing at our own home turf and we should’ve won. We were unable to bring out our best performance and we’ve failed to win, and for that I sincerely apologize,” said Tae-yong in a post-match press conference, as quoted from detikSport, “We held this friendly to prepare our team for our trip to Kuwait (where Indonesia will play their Asian Cup qualifiers) and we should’ve won by three or four goals, but we’ve failed to do so.”
Despite Tae-yong’s apology, the South Korean was sharply criticized by a number of disappointed Indonesia supporters, who brought up his predecessor Luis Milla as a potential replacement for the former South Korea national team head coach.