Once again, Thai fans had to leave in disappointment. At Kanchanaburi Stadium, which was once expected to become a football mecca, the “War Elephants” only left a disjointed image and bowed their heads to their opponents Iraq .

Coach Masatada Ishii entered the final with a new formula: 3 strikers lined up side by side, while the midfield had only one player left to defend.

Thailand Iraq 0 1.jpg
Thailand had a poor match in all aspects. Photo: Changsuek

Unfortunately, this was not a tactical initiative, but more of a reckless game. The Iraqi team did not need to make much effort to suffocate the midfield, while the Thai strikers ran around as if lost.

The perennial problem of not being able to play high balls has been exposed. A simple cross can leave defences reeling. The problem has gone unsolved for years.

The coach changed, the players changed, but the Thai goal was still wide open every time the opponent fed the ball in the air. It was hard to believe that this was a team that wanted to step into the continent and had set the goal of the 2026 World Cup.

The players who were expected to play also played like they were asleep. Poramet Arjvirai was as pale as a ghost, unable to show the image of a striker who had just joined Japanese football (Jubilo Iwata).

Supachai Chaided – who was expected to follow in Teerasil Dangda’s footsteps – missed a golden opportunity in injury time with a shot that went wide like a clearance. When the main striker is shaking in front of the goal, how can we talk about the dream of winning the championship?

On the contrary, when Chanathip and Jaroensak Wonggorn appeared in the second half, the audience saw a Thailand with ideas, with some creative moves.

Chanathip Thailand Iraq 0 1.jpg
Chanathip entered the field to make his mark, but not enough to make a difference. Photo: Changsuek

But the decision to bench these two from the start of the match made everyone wonder: why wait until everything fell apart to play the best card? Mr. Ishii once again lost points.

The referee may have been incompetent, causing controversy and nearly causing the game to fall apart, but that is no excuse for failure.

Thailand lost because of themselves, because of their fundamentally wrong playing style and the weakness of their irresponsible legs, as well as the increasingly obvious tactical limitations of coach Ishii.

The King's Cup was originally a stage for Thailand and coach Ishii to overcome pressure after a prolonged crisis, from the 2024 ASEAN Cup to the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

However, the tournament has now become a mirror of the truth: this team still lacks courage, lacks ideas, and lacks the trust of fans.

The evening in Kanchanaburi ended, not with a triumph, but with bitterness: Thailand was still only the "king" in dreams, but in reality, the cup fell into the hands of someone else once again.

(According to Siam Sport)

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-thai-lan-thua-iraq-o-king-s-cup-bi-bao-chi-danh-toi-ta-2440457.html