Thailand makes AFC Beach Soccer history

The Thais defeated Bahrain 2-0 in a thrilling match held on Jomtien Beach in Pattaya on Monday (Mar 20) to ensure they topped Group A and advanced to the second round of the Cup.

Despite losing their opening match to Saudi Arabia 2-3 on Mar 16, Thailand fought back with a thrilling 5-4 win against Afghanistan two days later before securing their place in the second round with its victory over Bahrain, the former 2006 Asian Cup champion.

Team Thailand put on an impressive performance in front of their home crowd, with Tanandon Praracha scoring the first goal just 19 minutes into the game, followed by Watchara Lepajit’s second goal in the 36^th minute.

The team scored a total of 7 points up to that point, making them the top team in Group A and securing their place in the second round.

In recognition of their success, the board of the Thai beach soccer team announced an injection of B800,000 as a reward for the players.

However, their joy was shortlived as they were defeated by the United Arab Emirates 4-2 in their quarter-final on Wednesday to end their tournament aspirations.

The semi-finals between UAE and Japan and Oman and Iran take place today with the final scheduled for tomorrow at 9:30pm local time.

-Additional reporting by NNT