Thailand’s SEA Games squad produced a disciplined performance to hold China’s U23 side to a 0-0 draw in a Fifa Day friendly at the Kunming Haigeng Training Center on Tuesday.
The Thais started brightly and almost struck inside two minutes. Iklas Sanron broke down the left and squared for Thanakrit Chotemuangpak, whose effort grazed the side netting.
Near the 30-minute mark, another chance surfaced for the visitors, but Yotsakorn Burapha’s shot was deflected wide.
The visitors thought they had the breakthrough in the 36th minute when Auttapon Sangtong slipped a pass to Yotsakorn, who finished from close range only for the assistant referee to raise his flag to rule it offside.
After the break, a couple of more opportunities were wasted when Iklas’ shot was deflected by a Chinese defender in the 76th minute and Yotsakorn sent his effort sailing over the bar six minutes later.
Thailand U23 team coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to test several new players in the friendly against China.
“We tried out many players I had never worked with before and they all performed well. For many of them it was their first time playing abroad, and they handled it admirably. This gives us more options to consider for upcoming tournaments,” he said.
Thawatchai praised the spirit and resilience of his squad but added: “We still have many things to fix, but I appreciate this group of players.”
Looking ahead, the coach said: “Our next target is the 2025 SEA Games, but this warm-up with China gave us a lot. We will also face them again in the AFC U23 Championship, so applying what we learned here will be valuable.
“When we adapt these experiences to matches against Asean opponents, it should help us improve further.”
The Thai U23 squad will return home this afternoon, and the coaching staff will get down to work again for training plans for the 2025 SEA Games, hosted by Thailand from Dec 9-20, and the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia from Jan 6-24.