Thailand had to endure some anxious moments before they were able to eke out a close 1-0 win over stubborn Timor Leste in the second game of Group A of the AFF Under-22 LG Cup 2019 here tonight at the National Olympic Stadium here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Following a first half deadlock, captain Saringkan Promsupa delivered the only goal of the game early in the second half.
“It was a very hard game against Timor Leste but we prevailed to pick up the full points,” said Saringkan afterwards.
Chances were far and in between as the battle was restricted to the centre of the park.
Thailand managed to provide the bumps to the speedy Timorese as the latter found it hard going to get into their opponents box.
But some hard defending on the part of Timor denied Thailand several clear chances as they continued to be frustrated for much of the first half.
Anon Samakorn came the closest just before the break but his attempt was blocked by goalkeeper Aderto Fernandes.
However just two minutes after the break, Thailand finally found the back of the net when Saringkan outjumped the entire Timor backline to head the ball past Fernandes.
Tanpisit Khukalamo had the chance to add to the scoreline five minutes later, but his half volley was a little off the mark.
Timor continued to push forward but Thailand just stood firm for the final scoreline.
“The lack of focus at the start of the second half cost us,” lamented Timor captain Rufino Walter Gama after the game.
FIXTURES
GROUP A
Vietnam 2 Philippines 1
Thailand 1 Timor Leste 0
FIXTURES – 18 Feb 2019
GROUP B
1530hrs: Myanmar vs Indonesia
1830hrs: Malaysia vs Cambodia
