KUALA LUMPUR (26 Aug 2017) – A late, late header from Chenrop Sampaodi gave defending champions Thailand their third final of the men’s football event at the SEA Games as they broke Myanmar hearts 1-0 at the Selayang Stadium this afternoon.
True to his words, Myanmar head coach Gerd Zeise put forward a very competitive side in the semi-finals that was able to match the Thais man for man where the score at the end of an exhilarating first half was all square.
But towards the end of the tie, a lapse in concentration allowed the unmark Thai captain Chenrop to head the ball past Myanmar keeper Sann Sat Naing for the hard fought win.
It was a nervous start for Myanmar as Thailand, who had dumped a confident Vietnam side 3-0 in their last game in the group, was in attack mode from the get go.
But the Myanmar defence stood firm as they soaked in much of the onslaught in the first half, before picking up the pace to push forward after the break.
With both teams eager to make the break, the game fell into a doldrum as chances after chances were left a begging.
It was not until the dying seconds of play that Chenrop finally found the space to punish the Myanmar defence and put the Thais into the final.
