Laos and Timor Leste will be hoping to end their campaign at this AFF Under-23 Championship 2022 with a bang when they clash for the third spot tomorrow afternoon at the Morodok Techo National Stadium.
Both Laos and Timor Leste have been a revelation at this year’s tournament when they put up incredible performances to spring the surprise against credible teams.
“We have to work around the current difficult situations that we are facing. We were not strong enough yesterday,” said Laos head coach Michael Weiss.
“But in spite of the situations that we were up against, we managed to give some of the other players the chance to shine and I thought that they did really well.
“So I hope that for tomorrow, we will have the same team as yesterday and field the best for the match against Timor Leste.”
While Laos suffered a 2-0 loss to Thailand in the first semifinal, Timor Leste had to go through the drama of extra time and then the penalty shootout before they were shown the exit by Vietnam.
And while it was heart-breaking to lose in the lottery, the fact that Timor Leste were fully stretched in their semifinal encounter meant that the team will have to be smart on their recovery.
“We know that it is not easy to play after just one day’s rest, so recovery for the players will be the utmost,” said Timor Leste head coach Fabio Maciel.
“We have to praise Vietnam for winning the game but for me, life has to go on. Now we will play Laos next.
“I hope that I will have my best available players for this game as certainly, we want to end this tournament on the right note.”
AFF U23 CHAMPIONSHIP 2022
FIXTURES – Morodok Techo National Stadium
26 February 2022
1600hrs (3rd & 4th): Laos vs Timor Leste
1930hrs (FINAL): Thailand vs Vietnam
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Pictures Courtesy @Sportfive
