A pair of goals by forward Siroch Chatthong gave Thailand a 2-0 victory over Indonesia for the AFF Suzuki Cup championship at a raucous Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday night.
The win gives the War Elephants coached by Kiatisak "Zico" Senamuang a record fifth title in the biennial regional competition that was first contested in 1996. Indonesia are still chasing their first championship after five losses in the finals.
"Thank you for all support. We dedicate this trophy to King Rama IX and King Rama X," Zico declared immediately after the match.
The hosts entered the match desperately needing to right the ship following a surprise 2-1 loss in the first leg of the final on Wednesday in Bogor. They got the crucial breakthrough seven minutes before half time as Fachruddin Aryanto's attempted clearance of a Theerathon Bunmathan cross went horribly wrong. The Indonesian could only look on in horror as it came off Siroch's knee and into the goal.
Siroch was the man of the moment again just two minutes after the break. Chanathip Songkrasin looked to have run himself into a dead end on the left flank but after being confronted by three Indonesian defenders, he played the ball through his opponents' legs to an unmarked Siroch, who cooly fired across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.
Thailand had a chance to put the match completely out of reach in the 81st minute after Siroch was brought down in the box by Indonesian keeper Kurnia Meiga. That brought Teerasil Dangda, the tournament's top scorer with six goals, to the spot but Meiga redeemed himself by saving the penalty kick.
The hard-fought match was played in a spirit of good sportsmanship, only to be marked by a brief scuffle along the touchline just before the final whistle, resulting in the dismissal of Indonesia's Abduh Lestaluhu.
Indonesia gave a fine account of themselves in this year's tournament, given the difficulties the side has faced. The team entered this year’s Suzuki Cup after 18 months in the international wilderness because of a Fifa ban related to alleged political interference in the affairs of the national football association. Its last competitivbe match was in the 2014 edition of the Asean championship.
Coach Alfred Riedl also had his hands tied by an agreement between the Indonesian league and football federation that limited him to picking only two players from each club.
Despite that, the unfamiliar side almost surprised Thailand in the first group match in Manila during a 4-2 loss, before drawing with the Philippines and beating Singapore to qualify for the semi-finals.
Vietnam were next but they too were dispatched over two legs before the surprise 2-1 victory over Kiatisak’s men in Bogor earlier this week.