Goal hero hails important three points
Thai hero of Suzuki Cup win over Timor Adisak worried fans would expect more in future games
>> Thailand’s six-goal hero Adisak Kraisorn in their 7-0 romp over Timor Leste in the Suzuki Cup Group B opener on Friday night is worried that the country’s demanding fans will expect more of such scoring sprees from the striker in the future.
However, the SCG Muang Thong United forward, who is staging a comeback after a lengthy injury layoff, said picking up three points was far more important than recording the historic feat of netting six goals.
For the past two years, Adisak, whose double hat-trick has helped him eclipse the milestones set by legendary Thai players like Worrawoot Srimaka, Kiatisak Senamuang, Sarayut Chaikumdee and Teerasil Dangda, has suffered from a spate of injuries.
He spent eight months out of the national team with a cruciate ligament injury sustained this year.
“The past eight months have been tough,” said Adisak.
“I lost a bit of passion for the game and sometimes felt like I wanted to quit. But lots of people kept supporting me, including my team and fans so I am grateful to them.
“I haven’t played a lot in the league over the past two years, so I have to thank the coach [Milovan Rajevac] for giving me this opportunity.
“Our target is to be the AFF Suzuki Cup champions again but we are taking one game at a time.”
The 27-year-old striker added: “I am happy that I scored so many goals but I am happier that we could pick up three points.
“Six goals came as a big surprise for me because I only wanted to be a part of the game.
“It [the comeback] hasn’t been easy at all. It has been tiring journey and I really felt under pressure on many occasions.
“I am still worried that I might get injured again. I am also worried that our fans will expect me to score more and more in the future games.”
Thailand coach Rajevac, meanwhile, felt that Timor Leste’s tactics made life easy for the War Elephants at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium.
“Timor Leste played the game exactly as we wanted,” said Rajevac. “They tried to attack us and left some space in behind that we could exploit.
“Most of the goals we scored came from counter-attacks and fast breaks so they made our job easier, which was reflected in the final score.”
He added: “As I have said many times before, it is important to have time. You can establish your style of play, improve the things that are necessary so that we can compete with teams and gets results.
“I’m glad that my players proved that whoever is picked, they are up to the task and they can deliver and they know that I have full faith in all of them.”
Two-time defending champions Thailand next will meet Indonesia on Nov 17. The other two teams in the group are the Philippines and Singapore.
The top two finishers in each fiveteam group advance to the semifinals, which will be played in early next month, with a two-legged final to be played on Dec 11 and 15.