In a disappointing outing, the Indian national football team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Thailand in an international friendly match held on Wednesday, June 4. This result served as a stark reality check for India as they gear up for their crucial Asian Cup qualifying round match. The goals for Thailand were scored by Benjamin Davis in the eighth minute and Poramet Arjvilai in the 59th minute, as the home side asserted their dominance throughout the match at the Thammasat Stadium.
Prior to this encounter, India had enjoyed success in their recent matches against Thailand, securing victories in their last two meetings. However, on this occasion, Thailand, currently ranked 99th in the world, displayed superior form and outplayed the Indian side, who hold a significantly lower ranking of 127th. The match highlighted the gap in quality between the two teams on the day.
Despite the overall lackluster performance, India's talismanic captain, Sunil Chhetri, who had been instrumental in their previous 4-1 win against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup by scoring twice, came close to finding the net in the 24th minute. Unfortunately for India, Chhetri's glancing header, which looked promising, was denied by an impressive diving save from the Thailand goalkeeper, Saranon Anui.
India had also secured a 1-0 victory against Thailand in the Kings Cup in 2019. However, in this recent encounter, Thailand appeared to possess superior technical skills and exhibited greater clinical precision in front of the goal. Conversely, the Indian team was left to rue missed opportunities in attack, compounded by costly defensive errors that allowed Thailand to capitalize. Furthermore, the Indian midfield seemed to lack the necessary creativity to effectively break down the Thai defense and create clear-cut chances for their forwards.
This defeat marks the second loss for the Indian team in seven matches under the guidance of head coach Manolo Marquez. The previous defeat was a 0-3 loss to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup held in Hyderabad last year. In the remaining five matches under his charge, four games have ended in a draw, while their sole victory was a 3-0 win against the Maldives in an international friendly match played in March.
Thailand's early dominance in the match translated into the opening goal in the eighth minute. Phitiwat Sookjitthammakul cleverly found Korawich Tasa near the edge of the Indian penalty area. Tasa then smartly laid the ball off to Ben Davis, who took a composed first touch to settle himself before unleashing a powerful right-footed shot that left the Indian goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith, with no chance. This was Davis' fourth goal in just seven appearances for Thailand, and the Indian defense was visibly exposed, reacting too slowly to close him down and prevent the shot.
As the first half progressed, India gradually found their footing in the game, effectively utilizing the width of the pitch to try and stretch the Thailand defense. Liston Colaco, who operated fluidly between the midfield and the left flank, emerged as a standout performer for India. He showcased good link-up play with both Sunil Chhetri and forward Ashique Kuruniyan, injecting some much-needed dynamism into the Indian attack. India's first genuine opportunity to level the scoreline came in the 24th minute. Colaco delivered an inviting free-kick from the left side of the pitch, which Sunil Chhetri met with a well-timed and clever header, managing to get ahead of his marker. However, the Thailand goalkeeper, Saranon Anuin, displayed excellent reflexes to dive to his left and pull off a sharp save, denying India an equalizer.
Thailand continued to pose a significant threat to India's defense, with both Korawich Tasa and Arjvilai coming close to extending their lead with long-range shots that narrowly missed the Indian goal. Despite these scares, the momentum of the game seemed to slightly shift in India's favor as the first half neared its conclusion. Abhishek, showing promise, came close to scoring with a well-struck shot from distance in the 40th minute, only for the ball to miss the target by mere inches.
However, the most clear-cut opportunity for India to equalize arrived during the stoppage time of the first half. Sunil Chhetri showcased his playmaking abilities by delivering a sublime through ball from midfield, which perfectly found Liston Colaco's run, effectively splitting the Thai defense. Colaco managed to bring the ball under control with a good first touch, finding himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Unfortunately for India, he was unable to convert this golden chance as the Thailand goalkeeper, Saranon Anuin, quickly narrowed the angle and made a timely save to thwart the danger.
In the 59th minute of the match, a costly misplaced pass in the Indian midfield gifted possession of the ball back to Thailand. The ball was swiftly distributed to Arjvilai on the left flank. Noticing the Indian goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith, slightly off his line after Ashish Rai was beaten by a step-over, Arjvilai executed a magnificent curling shot that found the top-right corner of the net, doubling Thailand's lead and significantly deflating India's hopes of a comeback.
Late in the game, in the 80th minute, substitute Lallianzuala Chhangte managed to create a good opportunity for himself, but his left-footed shot unfortunately went just wide of the upright, denying India a potential consolation goal. Meanwhile, Thailand continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack, aiming to exploit the spaces left behind by the Indian team as they pushed forward in search of goals. They could have potentially added a third goal to their tally if not for a crucial intervention by Anwar Ali, who bravely threw himself in front of a goal-bound shot in the dying moments of the match.