Courtesy: The AFC.com


Udom urges Thailand to end on a high

Friday, May 11, 2018

Bangkok: Thailand head coach Udom Taveesuk said only a win will do in Saturday’s AFC Women’s Futsal Championship third place play-off against Vietnam.

Speaking after his side’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Japan, a bitterly disappointed Udom spoke of the importance of finishing their campaign with victory.

“I’d like to say sorry to all Thai fans, but we still have one last game to go,” he said.

“For our last game on Saturday there’s only one option for me. We must win. We must get the best result for the Thai fans.”

The 48-year-old also called on local fans to turn out in numbers at Huamark Indoor Stadium.

“I would like invite all of the Thai fans to come to the stadium and support our Thai team on Saturday. We will do our best and, again we can say, we only win for Thailand.”

While continental glory is no longer within their grasp, Sasicha Phothiwong is still in contention for the top scorer title. She is level with Japan’s Anna Amishiro on eight goals, one behind the current leader - Islamic Republic of Iran’s Fatemeh Etedadi.

Thailand will be without Mutita Senkram after she was shown a straight red card for a blatant foul on Amishiro during the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s players will enjoy a day off before their AFC Women’s Futsal Championship swansong, after a hectic schedule culminated in a 5-0 semi-final loss to Iran.

Head coach Truong Quoc Tran said his players were in need of a rest.

“Playing back to back games between the quarter-final and semi-final was difficult for the players without time to relax,” he explained.

“It’s good to have a day of and rejuvenate mentally, and hopefully we can perform well.”


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com