War Elephants remain defiant

War Elephants remain defiant

Coach Kiatisak wary of Garudas' high balls

Thailand coach Kiatisak 'Zico' Senamuang is confident that his men can overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium tomorrow.

Holders Thailand lost 2-1 to Indonesia in the first leg in Bogor on Wednesday when the hosts rallied in the second half after Teerasil Dangda gave the War Elephants the lead in the 33rd minute.

"The second leg will be an exciting game. We scored an away goal and we only need a 1-0 win to become champions again,'' Kiatisak said after returning to Bangkok yesterday.

"If the players understand my tactics and the fans pack the stadium, we should win."

Tickets for tomorrow's match have been sold out.

Kiatisak said he has been thinking about his tactics for the Bangkok leg since Wednesday's loss.

"We made mistakes and we must be more careful about their aerial attack which is very dangerous," said Kiatisak who coached the 2014 title-winning side.

"We conceded the two goals because we made mistakes and lost concentration."

The coach, who also won the Suzuki Cup as a player, said he could not sleep that night and started thinking about his tactics for the second leg after the loss.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he watched Wednesday's match on TV.

"Our neighbours [Indonesia] are strong but we are 'elephants' and must be patient,'' Gen Prayut said.

"I hope Thailand win the next match."

Thailand are chasing a record fifth Asean title, while the Garudas are gunning for their first, having lost in the final four times.

Thailand beat Indonesia 4-2 in the first round of the 2016 campaign in Manila, and the Bogor setback was the Thais' first defeat of the tournament.

Interestingly, Indonesia are the only team to have scored against Thailand in this tournament.

Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl said his team's win was a result of the incredible home fans and a bit of luck.

Rizki Pora's deflected shot cancelled out Teerasil's strike before Hansamu Pranata made it 2-1.

While the Indonesians will likely miss star winger Andik Vermansyah for the second leg after he came off in the first half with what looked like a severe thigh injury, Riedl is thrilled with the response from the rest of his players.

"We did not play well in the first half against the best team in Asean but the equaliser changed the pace of the game," Riedl told Fox Sports Asia.

"Sometimes in football, you need this type of goals."

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who attended the semi-final game at Bogor, was unable to make it to Wednesday's game as he was abroad but tweeted "Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to the Indonesian national team" just minutes after the game ended.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who was at the venue, made his way down at full-time to congratulate the Garudas but took to social media right after the game to warn that the job is only half done.

"Indonesian national team were incredible. The battle hasn't finished yet, keep the spirit!" he tweeted.

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