BANGKOK (Thailand): Thailand qualified for their first-ever AFC U23 Championship knockout stage after playing out a 1-1 draw against Iraq here at the Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday night.
Akira Nishino’s side, who qualified alongside table-topping Australia, will now meet the winners from Group B where Saudi Arabia, Syria and Qatar are all still in contention to advance.
Jaroensak Wonggorn scored from the spot in the fifth minute to earn the lead for the Thais in a Group A match while Mohammed Qasim cancelled it out four minutes after the restart.
But that didn’t stop the hosts who needed a draw to progress to the next round.
Wonggorn thanked the 15,000 supporters who thronged the Rajamangala Stadium to support their U23 team.
“The fans are part of the reason why we qualified and I want to thank them. This is a very special feeling because this is the first time we’ve reached the quarterfinals but our target is not only to be in the last eight,” said Wonggorn. “We want to reach the semifinals and the final, and also get that Olympic ticket.”
After a win, draw and loss in Group A, the Thais secured their place in the quarterfinals as runners-up and will play the Group B winners at the Thammasat Stadium on Saturday.
This is the third edition that Thailand is taking part at the AFC U23 Championship.
But the Samut Prakan City midfielder admitted he was under tremendous pressure while taking the spot-kick.
“I felt the pressure when taking the penalty, but I’ve been in that position before and the coach was confident in me,” he said. “Coach Nishino always says that we should not be afraid because it doesn’t matter who we go up against as long we believe in ourselves.”
After the Iraq goal, Thailand brought star duo Supachai Chaided and Supachok Sarachart off the bench as the hosts fought tooth and nail till the end to deny the west Asian side a victory.
