Heavy rain delayed Thailand and Malaysia match at Thammasat Stadium from 7:30 p.m. to nearly 9 p.m. Once the rain stopped, staff rushed to clear the water from the pitch, but wet conditions still made it difficult for players on both sides.
Thailand's first relevant chance came in the 28th minute. Sittha Boonlha's cross from the right caused confusion for Malaysian goalkeeper Zulhilmi Sharani, who could not clear the ball clean, but Yotsakorn Burapha missed the open goal, as his shot went over the bar.
Six minutes later, Thailand finally broke the deadlock when Seksan Ratree broke the offside trap, entered the box and passed to Kakana Khamyok for the rebound, who fired past two defenders to score.
Malaysia could not retaliate much, but equalized unexpectedly from a corner. A cross into the box found Aysar Hadi, who tapped the ball past goalkeeper Chommaphat Boonloet to level the score.
In the second half, Thailand's attack, led by Khamyok, Ratree, Iklas Sanron and Burapha, continuously put pressure on Malaysia's defense, but luck and strong defending kept the match tight for Malaysia.
Failing to convert many chances they created, Thailand nearly conceded in the 89th minute. A counter-attack led by Ubaidullah Shamsul created a three-on-one situation, but Fergus Tierney's shot was saved by Boonloet.
After this scary play, Thailand struck back immediately. Ratree's long pass reached Burapha, who calmly dribbled into the box and set up Khamyok, who tapped it into the top-left corner, sealing a 2-1 win. The 21-year-old midfielder celebrated by taking off his shirt and lying on the rain-soaked pitch, embraced by teammates. Thai fans in the stands, wearing raincoats, danced to celebrate the victory.
The win puts Thailand atop Group F with seven points, the same as Lebanon but ahead on goal difference (+7 vs +4). Thailand become the second Southeast Asian team, after Vietnam, to qualify for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup. Both teams have reached the main tournament six consecutive times. Thailand's best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 2020 at home, while Vietnam finished as runners-up in 2018.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's qualifying hopes ended with a 0-1 loss to South Korea at home ground Gelora Delta Stadium earlier on Tuesday.
After the two previous games, Indonesia sat second in Group J with four points, two behind South Korea. A win was crucial for Indonesia to qualify, because even a draw would show them the exit, as other second-placed teams already had six points.
Home advantage allowed Gerald Vanenburg’s side to start strong, with Rayhan Hannan breaking through in the first minute before passing into the box, but no teammate could convert the chance.
Just five minutes later, South Korea shut down Indonesia’s excitement with the opening goal. After a quick attack down the left, Hwang Do-yoon controlled the ball before his shot hit the post and went in.
Indonesia dominated in possession for the rest of the game but lacked accuracy to convert their chances, even though there were times that they nearly scored. South Korea slowed the pace and used time-wasting tactics to frustrate the hosts and reduce their excitement. Five minutes of extra time was not enough to turn the tables.
At the final whistle, Indonesian players sank into disappointment. From finishing fourth in the last tournament and nearly securing a ticket to the Olympics, Indonesia could not even make it past the qualifiers this time.
The 16 teams set to compete at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup next January include the 11 group winners from the qualifiers, Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, South Korea, Syria, Thailand and Vietnam, the four best second-placed teams, China, Lebanon, the UAE and Uzbekistan, along with host nation Saudi Arabia.
(Source: VnExpress International)