Thailand won the AFF Suzuki Cup for the sixth time following a 2-2 draw with Indonesia in the second leg of the finals, resulting in a 6-2 aggregate victory at the National Stadium in Singapore.
After losing 4-0 to Thailand in the first leg of the finals on Wednesday, Indonesia went on the offensive and scored an early goal from Ricky Kambuaya. However, Adisak Kraisorn scored an equalizer for Thailand in the second half, followed by a shot from Sarach Yooyen that deflected an Indonesian defender’s foot into the goal that gave the War Elephants a 2-1 lead. Indonesia scored an equalizer at the 79th minute with a strike by Egy Maulana, but it was too late as Thailand maintained a four-goal deficit from the first game.
Thai captain Chanathip Songkrasin remarked after the game that he was pleased with the result, but said his squad will improve even more to attain greater success. The playmaker scored two goals in the first leg of the finals, which helped secure the AFF Cup for the War Elephants.
Thailand won the inaugural AFF Cup in 1996 and went on to win four more titles in 2000, 2002, 2014, and 2016. Meanwhile, Indonesia is still unable to break their final “curse,” and were runners-up six times – three of those times to Thailand in 2000, 2002, and 2016.
