Akira Nishino: ‘The referee made mistake in the penalty situation’

U22 Vietnam takes on U22 Thailand in the last group match of men’s football at SEA Games 30^th. This is also a decisive match to identify the slot to the semis.

Taking a 2-0 lead just in 11 minutes, Thailand seemed to be more condifent and assumed they have completed their goal. However, Tien Linh’s excellent performance smashed their hope. The Binh Duong players scoring a brace in the 15^th and 72^nd minutes made Thailand crashed out of the tournament.

“U22 Thailand and U22 Vietnam had a tough game. We see that in the match. U22 Thailand didn’t have a good start in the tournament but we improved after each game. However, our effort could not be paid off. I am responsible for this result,” Nishino told reporters.

“Thailand U22 squad will be different from the AFC U23 Championship 2020 finals. I hope this defeat will help the players draw experience for the upcoming important tournament."

"I respect the referee's decision about the penalty situation. But I think that it was a mistake to give Vietnam the second chance.”

"This SEA Games is the first official tournament I lead Thailand U22 so the players can not understand my philosophy. In the near future, I hope to have more time to work with the players. "

"My players are all Thai talents. They just lack the experience in such big tournaments, which is what the players need to improve."

"I respect Coach Park Hang Seo and appreciate the development of Vietnamese football".

With today's result, U22 Vietnam qualifies for the semis, taking top spot of Group B. Vietnam will meet Cambodia U22 in the semi-final at 7:00PM on December 7.

Latest SEA Games 30 men’s football table: