The Thailand men's football team have received praise from supporters, including Football Association of Thailand (FAT) president Nualphan Lamsam, after they deservedly earned a 1-1 draw with favoured South Korea in the second round of Asia's qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday night.
"Thank you for the valuable one point that brings happiness to Thais," Ms Nualphan posted her congratulatory message on her Facebook account in early hours of Friday.
"I'm very proud. Come back for another fight on 26," she added.
The 101st ranked Thailand earned one point from the draw with the 22nd ranked South Korea on their home turf at Seoul World Cup Stadium, thanks to the well-disciplined performances of the players under Japanese coach Masatada Ishii. The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday (March 26) at Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok.
The match grabbed national attention, with messages praising the War Elephants and their coach continued to pile on the Facebook page of the FAT and other social media channels. Many people now have high expectations of a good result on the second match hosted by Thailand.
"All Korean players are top class. Ishii has led Thailand's football to another level," one commenter wrote.
"It's up to the next match whether we can keep this momentum. Another point from South Korea in Thailand would give the Thai team a chance to move to the next round," another commented.
The two best teams from each group will advance to the third round.
The War Elephants are in the same group as China and Singapore, and the result on Thursday was also in favour of Thailand as China, another favourite side in the group, could manage only a 2-2 draw with Singapore.
Thailand is second after South Korea in the standings after three matches.
South Korean captain and forward Song Heung-min, who scored for the Koreans, said after the game that he remained positive on the team after another disappointing showing against Thailand. It followed the turbulence at the Asia Cup tournament in Qatar last month when they were upset by Jordan in the semifinals.
"The most positive element of tonight's match was that we tried to play together as a team," Song, who also plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, said after the match against Thailand," he told Yonhap news agency. "We needed to show people that every player, from those on the pitch down to guys sitting on the bench, would try to become one."
The Thailand-South Korea match on Thursday topped the most viewed sports news on the Yonhap website.
Meanwhile, a news cameraman managed to film Pheu Thai Party MPs watching the game via an illegal streaming service during the budget debate in Parliament.
When reporters asked her about the incident on Friday, Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that watching a match during the debate was inappropriate, and the lawmakers needed to be cautioned.
When questioned about people visiting illegal websites, Ms Paetongtarn said, "Does anyone here also watch games via illegal websites? We actually have to take care of this issue because these websites are accessible to everyone."
A news cameraman takes a video of Pheu Thai MPs watching a football match between Thailand and South Korea via livestream during a parliamentary session on Thursday. (Screenshot)