DUBAI • His fans compare him to Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, and Chanathip Songkrasin proved that he too can be a match winner when his team need him most.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who plays his club football for Japan's Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, kept Thailand's Asian Cup hopes alive by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Bahrain in their second Group A match in Dubai yesterday.
The Thais were under pressure at the Al-Maktoum Stadium following their 4-1 loss to India on Sunday.
Milovan Rajevac was sacked as coach after that defeat, which meant the War Elephants needed a win yesterday to stay in contention to progress from the group stage.
They showed their ambition when Chanathip put the Thais in the driving seat in the 58th minute with a superbly struck volley that rocketed past goalkeeper Sayed Shubbar Alawi.
Thai interim head coach Sirisak Yodyadthai said he was not surprised with the result.
"I promised a surprise in the pre-match conference, and that came basically from the belief I had from my players," he told Dubai's Gulf News. "I always believed they could deliver on the pitch. We did very well to keep Bahrain away from a goal in the first half and, in the second, the players delivered exactly what I wanted."
It was only Thailand's second Asian Cup win in 22 games. Their previous win came in 2007, when they beat Oman on home soil.
The win did not come easy. Thailand had zero shots on target as Bahrain controlled the first half, forcing goalkeeper Chatchai Bootprom into a double save.
Following Chanathip's goal, Chatchai again had to save brilliantly from Ali Jaafar Madan as Bahrain hunted unsuccessfully for the equaliser. The victory put Thailand temporarily level on three points with India, who took on the United Arab Emirates in a later match, the result of which was not available at press time.
The Thais next face hosts UAE on Monday in their final group match.
The top two from each group and four best third-placed teams will move into the last 16.
In another match yesterday, Jordan, who upset champions Australia in the tournament opener, became the first team to seal their progress to the knockout stage with a 2-0 win over Syria. The victory left them top of Group B with six points.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
PALESTINE V AUSTRALIA
Singtel TV Ch114 & StarHub Ch208, 6.50pm
Pele recovering well after kidney stone operation. The 78-year-old former Santos and New York Cosmos player has suffered from kidney and prostate problems and also had hip replacement surgery in
Pele recovering well after kidney stone operation
Hamilton Beach 76606ZA Smooth Touch Can Opener, Black and Chrome review Deluxe can opener opens all can types- including pop-tops with the side cutting action that lifts the can top off and leaves
Foiled Again! by Jack Wilds| J.W. Pepper Sheet Music
Man City ready to pounce on any Liverpool slip-ups, says Guardiola. Jesus took a stuttering run-up for his spot kick, but there was nothing hesitant in his confident finish into the bottom
Man City ready to pounce on any Liverpool slip-ups, says
Lions hungry for victory. Coach Petar Segrt (second from right), in his first match in charge of the Maldives, will be looking to reverse a run of five losses to Singapore, who will be led by
Lions hungry to keep winning after earning rare victory - The
MADRID: Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain star Jose Antonio Reyes has been killed in a car crash, his hometown club Sevilla said on Saturday.He was 35. Reyes, who shot to fame at Sevilla before a switch to Arsenal, followed by spells at Real and Atletico Madrid, was on the books with second-tier Spanish club Extremadura.
Football news - Jose Antonio Reyes killed in car crash at age
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in schools and other educational institutions. Its learning games, "Kahoots", are multiple-choice quizzes that allow user generation and can be accessed via a web browser, phone, or the app itself.
Kahoot! Blog
Messi shines as Barca survive scare to see off Rayo Lionel Messi created a goal and scored another as Barcelona came from behind to beat struggling Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home on Saturday and stay seven points clear at the top of La Liga.
Messi shines as Barca survive scare to see off Rayo
Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro was named coach of China on Friday, spearheading the ambitious country's attempts to become a footballing force at last. It was not immediately clear if the former Juventus and Real Madrid star will lead the team on a temporary or permanent basis -- Chinese media speculated that the upcoming
Italian legend Cannavaro named new coach of China
Queiroz's Iran have been the form team of the Asian Cup but they lacked ideas on Monday against a calm Japanese team who seized their opportunities. At a rocking Hazza Bin Stadium, Iran lobbed balls at target man Sardar Azmoun at every opportunity but it was Japan who looked the biggest threat in the opening exchanges.
Football: Marouane Fellaini leaves Man United for China's Shandong and wishes him well for the future as he completes his move to Shandong Luneng Taishan FC in China," said a statement on
Marouane Fellaini leaves Man Utd for China's Shandong
Aaron Ramsey reportedly agrees to five-year, €40m deal with Juventus The Welshman will leave after 10 years with Arsenal According to Sky Italy, Aaron Ramsey has agreed to join Juventus at the end of the season on a free transfer.
Atlas Professional Movers | Full Service Packing & Moving
AD
ST Young Star Award: Queensway Secondary's history-maker Putri Nur Syaliza keeps feet firmly on ground Putri Nur Syaliza, one of the winners of the ST Young Star Award and the Football Association
Latest PUTRI NUR SYALIZA | The Straits Times
In Summary. Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will travel with the rest of their squad for their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion having nearly recovered from a hamstring
Man City's Aguero in frame to face Brighton in FA Cup
0 comments:
Post a Comment