Thailand U23 Loses 0-3 to Vietnam in Friendly Opener
Thailand's U23 national team lost 0-3 to Vietnam in their opening match of the GIA LAI – VTV CUP 2026 friendly tournament on November 10. Despite the defeat, coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul praised the young squad's fighting spirit and teamwork, noting most players are new to the team. Thailand faces Qatar next on November 12, and the coach emphasized learning from the match to develop players for future competitions like the SEA Games.
Coach Wang Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, head coach of the U23 team, praised the fighting spirit of his players despite the opening loss to Vietnam in the GIA LAI – VTV CUP 2026 international U23 friendly tournament on November 10 at Pleiku Stadium, Vietnam. The Thailand national team lost 0-3 in their opener, with their next match against Qatar on November 12. After the game, Coach Wang said: 'This is a result we didn't want, but what I saw from the players was everyone trying to help each other, both in building attacks and defending, trying to play together. In the next game we must try to do better.' 'This squad is mostly players joining the team for the first time. We've only seen part of their form, but what makes me proud is everyone has fighting spirit. I believe if they have the heart ready and if we have time to play together, the youngsters will definitely improve.' 'Today we learned from the team that will be our future opponents. It's a lesson we'll build on for the future, both in the SEA Games and other tournaments. I believe we'll develop our current young players to step up and fight Vietnam in the future.' 'Another important matter is player injuries. We take it very seriously. We tried to select players who didn't play league games on Sunday to play first. Many haven't had games, or some played on Saturday. We must try to protect the players as much as possible. We try to prioritize physical condition to send them back to their clubs intact. Must praise Thailand and Vietnam for playing fair play. Must commend both teams for playing by the rules.'
