THAILAND DENIED BY IRAN IN FINAL OF NEWSPAPER CUP 2008

HUE (29 Sept 2008) – Thailand were denied the crown in the Under-21 Football Tournament Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup 2008 when they faltered to a late rally to lose the final 2-1 to Iran at the Tu Do Stadium in the central town of Hue.

What made the win more fabulous for Iran was the fact that they had to play for much of the second half with a man short after defender Reza picked up his second yellow card in the same match.

Thailand started confidently enough but the early exchange failed to change the scoreline as it remained in a deadlock until after the break.

Just five minutes into the second half, Thailand were quick to take the lead when Ekkachai picked up a pass from captain Suphaphorn to blast home.

Iran fought back hard and ten minutes later, they nailed the equalizer.

And following the ejection of Reza, the Middles Eastern side took the lead for the first time in the game off striker Jalalaldin for the win.

In the meantime, hosts Vietnam emerged as the third best team in the competition when they beat Singapore 1-0.