Relentless Thais hammer Brunei 5-0
Defending champions to face their toughest Group B rivals Vietnam in a sold-out encounter on Wednesday
Thailand picked up three more points with a 5-0 hammering of Brunei in their fourth Group B match of the SEA Games football competition at Bishan Stadium yesterday.
Having qualified for the semifinals, holders Thailand rested key players Chanathip Songkrasin and Sarach Yooyen but still dominated their rivals with ease.
A large crowd of Thai fans had turned up at the stadium to watch the match.
Thailand had a chance to score very early in the match but Siwakorn Chakkuprasart’s shot went a bit wide and a few moments later, Pakorn Prempak saw his attempt saved by a Brunei defender.
Thailand kept on challenging Brunei defenders and making inroads but their first goal only came in the 18th minute when Thitiphan Puanjan opened up the rival defence for Chenrop Samphaodi to find the net.
The second goal was scored in the 30th minute when a Chaowat Veerachart lob was headed home by Chenrop to give Thailand a 2-0 advantage.
The Thais were awarded a free-kick when Rungrat Phumichantuk was fouled by a Brunei player but Pakorn’s drive was warded off by goalkeeper Mohd Dani Ahsanuddin.
Brunei attempted to pierce through the Thai defence but their rare efforts failed to reach striker Faiq Jefri Bolkiah on most occasions.
Thailand had another opportunity to extend their lead but Thitiphan failed to convert as the Thais led 2-0 at half-time.
Seven minutes into the second half, Thailand scored their third goal when Chaowat set up Thitiphan through a free kick, which was awarded after Tritan Do was scythed down by a Brunei player.
In the 59th minute, Rungrat was tripped by a Brunei defender and the referee had no hesitation in awarding a free-kick. Pakorn came close to delivering the fourth goal but his shot rammed into the bar and bounced off into the safety zone.
However, by that time the Thais were riding on a tide of confidence and the match bore the look of a oneway traffic street.
The waves of Thai attacks continued and five minutes later bar came to the rescue of the Brunei team once again when Rungrat guided a cross by Pakorn towards the goal.
The fourth goal came in the 70th minute and it was the result of a spectacular long shot by Tritan that left Brunei goalkeeper helpless.
Despite having four goals to their credit, the Thais did not slow down and their attacks continued to make life difficult for Brunei defenders.
Pinyo Inpinit had a chance to join the list of scorers but he was denied by defender Muhammad Hanif Hamir.
Nurul Sriyankem, who had replaced Thitiphan, had an attempt at the goal but his shot was saved by substitute Brunei goalkeeper Rahim Abd Hafiz.
The Thais were even relentless in the four minutes of injury time.
Thailand had a free-kick when Nurul was fouled by a Brunei player. The player made amends for the earlier miss and gave his side their fifth and last goal of the match.
The result helped Thailand to scale to the top of Group B standings.
Meanwhile, the organising committee announced yesterday that tickets for the match between Thailand and Vietnam on Wednesday at the 4,500-seat Bishan Stadium have been sold out.