Thailand's coach expresses his feelings after a thrilling victory over Malaysia

After a dramatic comeback against Malaysia to reach the final, Coach Boonlert Charoenwong stated that the U19 Thailand team's triumph came from confidence, resilience, and the power of the crowd.

The Thailand U19 Futsal team experienced an intense semifinal match at the 2025 Southeast Asia U19 Futsal Championship, overcoming Malaysia in a penalty shootout 8-7 after a 4-4 draw in regular and extra time. Despite trailing 1-3 at one point, the U19 Thailand squad showed commendable fighting spirit to earn their place in the final against Indonesia.

Thailand started well with an early goal by Phakphum Thiamtee, but defensive lapses allowed Malaysia to score three consecutive goals. Down behind, Coach Boonlert Charoenwong’s team stayed composed. In the second half, Thailand implemented a power-play strategy, applying constant pressure and equalizing at 3-3 with goals from Monnath Chan-Krajang and Phakphum Thiamtee. After a 4-4 draw in extra time, the winner was decided by penalties, where the home team showed greater composure to win 8-7 overall.

After the match, Coach Boonlert Charoenwong emotionally shared: “First of all, I sincerely thank all the fans. The cheers from the stands today truly energized the players. That mental strength helped them never give up, even when behind. I always believed the team would come back because we trained thoroughly for high-pressure situations like this.”

The Thai coach also candidly admitted this was not the team’s best performance: “Honestly, we played below our best today. However, what matters is the players fought until the end and proved their character. I am proud of them.”

Looking ahead to the final against Indonesia, Coach Boonlert emphasized that the team’s sole goal is to demonstrate their true class and winning spirit: “The final will be extremely tough; Indonesia is a very strong team. We must revive our best form, stay highly focused, and trust our style of play. If we achieve that, Thailand can definitely claim the championship.”

The 2025 Southeast Asia U19 Futsal final between Thailand and Indonesia will take place at 7 PM on December 29 in Nonthaburi, promising a top-level showdown between two regionally prestigious teams.