January 25 – Saudi Arabia were held by Thailand as the two sides closed out the Asian Cup group stages with a 0-0 draw at the Education City Stadium.
Neither team entered the match under tournament pressure as both were already qualified for the next round.
Despite their safety in second place, Thailand’s reserves still looked to develop on their impressive tournament performance and usurp the Saudis in a last-minute grab for top spot in the group.
Thailand’s lineup underwent a complete change from their match versus Oman on Sunday, featuring 11 new starting faces as the team looked to protect their starters from injuries going into the round of 16.
Thai youngster Teerasak Poeiphimai, 21, assumed the role of centre forward despite having never scored for his country at senior level. Replacing fan-favourite Supachai Jaided, the striker had big shoes to fill.
Defensive rock Ali Al-Boleahi and the talented Salem Al-Dawsari were the only players to survive Roberto Mancini’s purge of the team that faced Kyrgyzstan on Sunday. Both teams opted for a similar approach to save their legs of the first team for tougher trials ahead.
Thailand had history against them, having never beaten Saudi Arabia in their four previous meetings. With the Saudis only having conceded one goal since October, Thailand’s young debutants had a stern test ahead.
Masatada Ishii’s side lined up with a back four protected by two defensive midfielders that allowed the front four to be creative going forward. As seen against Oman, the tactic relies heavily on the ability of the attacking group to create amongst themselves and works well against disorganised defences.
Similarly, Roberto Mancini stuck with his favoured 3-5-2 formation, this time employing star man Al-Dawsari in the heart of midfield instead of in attack. The formation allows for Mancini to make the most out of his players’ athleticism in the middle of the park, which worked effectively at shutting down attacks by…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/01/25/saudi-thailand-happy-stalemate-second-strings-see-group/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-01-25 09:29:20
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