Ahead of the match, Vietnam was leading the group by 10 points, with Thailand settling for second place due to a poorer goal difference.
Meanwhile, Indonesia scored only eight points after two wins and two draws. So, a draw against Thailand was enough for Vietnam to book a place in the semifinals, regardless the result of the match between Indonesia and Cambodia.
However, the objective of securing one point turned out to be too difficult for the Vietnamese side, as reigning champions Thailand also demonstrated a strong determination towards the full three points.
Thai players dominated ball possession during the majority of the match and created numerous opportunities to score.
The opening goal came to the Thai side as a matter of fact, with Phitiwat successfully converting an indirect freekick in the box just a few minutes before halftime.
In the second half, Thailand continued to control the game and scored two additional goals in the 52nd and 68th minutes thanks to Picha Autra and Chenrop Samphaodi, thereby rounding off the convincing 3-0 win over Vietnam.
Notably, two of Thailand’s three goals stemmed from the defensive mistakes made by Vietnamese keeper Phi Minh Long.
He used his hand to catch the ball passed back by teammate Tuan Anh, leading to the referee’s decision to gift Thailand an indirect freekick right in the box. Long then “contributed” to the Thai side’s second goal as he moved ahead unnecessarily seeking to block the ball that, however, was still kept under control by a Vietnamese defender.
Vietnam also missed a golden chance to narrow the gap six minutes after the hour mark, as favourite striker Cong Phuong produced an inaccurate penalty kick, which was earned by teammate Quang Hai.
With this unexpected loss, coach Nguyen Huu Thang’s side dropped to third place in Group B with ten points, behind the leaders, Thailand, with 13 points and the second-place team, Indonesia, who beat Cambodia 2-0 to wrap up the group stage with 11 points.
