Thailand's forward Suphanat Mueanta (right) celebrating with teammates after scoring against the Philippines in Bangkok on Dec 30. - PHOTO: AFP
BANGKOK: Thailand will face Vietnam in the final of the Asean Championship after Suphanat Mueanta’s extra-time header earned the defending champions a 3-1 win over the Philippines in Bangkok on Monday night (Dec 30) to register a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Trailing 2-1 from the opening encounter in Manila on Dec 27, Suphanat’s 116th minute header secured victory for Masatada Ishii’s side and sets up a re-run of the 2022 decider, which Thailand won 3-2 on aggregate.
Peeradon Chamratsamee had put the Thais ahead on the night in the 37th minute when he shot past Quincy Kammeraad and Patrik Gustavsson gave the title-holders the aggregate lead nine minutes after the restart with a first-time angled finish.
But with seven minutes remaining the Philippines’ Norway-born striker Bjorn Kristensen bent a low shot from 20 yards into the bottom corner of Patiwat Khammai’s goal to take the game into extra-time.
Proceedings looked destined to go to penalties until Suphanat rose highest to meet Worachit Kanitsribampen’s cross from the right and his downward header gave Kammeraad little chance as the seven-times champions prevailed.
Vietnam secured their place in the final on Dec 29 when two goals from Nguyen Xuan Son helped Kim Sang-sik’s side to a 3-1 win over Singapore on the Sunday night in Viet Tri and a 5-1 victory on aggregate having won the first leg 2-0 on Dec 26.
It was again the Vietnam star player, the mercurial Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelson), who made all the difference with the two goals – a penalty (45th+2) and another in the 63rd minute – as Nguyen Tien Linh added the third (90th+2) for the well-deserved win.
In between, Kyoga Nakamura scored Singapore’s only goal in the 74th minute.
Vietnam will host the first leg of the final in Viet Tri on Jan 2 with the return in Bangkok on Jan 5. - Reuters
