"Netipong" has made a decision, revealing three reasons why the Thailand women's national football team was heavily defeated by Japan at the Asian Games 2026.
On 14 September 2026, Netipong Srithong-in, head coach of the Thailand women's national football team, spoke after the first group stage match of the Asian Games 2026 women's football tournament, Group E, where Thailand was soundly defeated 0-8 by Japan, the defending champions and hosts.
Coach Alfred Netipong Srithong-in explained that the three reasons for Thailand's wide loss to Japan were player quality, response speed, and physical condition differences. He decided to rest some players in the second half to aim for qualification in the top two, facing Chinese Taipei and Vietnam.
Netipong Srithong-in said, "We did not expect to face such an excellent team. We were not surprised by the players' quality and the speed of the game; it was extremely fast."
"Honestly, this was probably our first time playing at that level. It allowed us to assess ourselves and understand why we did not perform better. Response speed and decision-making speed are the most critical factors."
"The opponents played very fast. I always say football is not just about teamwork but about individual ability combined as a team—individual skills, decision-making, especially under pressure. Now we understand what it is and what we must do to improve ourselves to reach that level."
"Losing to a top-level team is always positive. We did not lose to a lower-ranked team; we played against a top 5 world team. Before the game, we tried tactical arrangements to play our style without focusing solely on Japan's form."
"However, as we saw, the second half was not very good. When the team started adapting to that speed, physically we lost stamina, energy dropped, and we conceded four more goals."
"Still, I was quite satisfied with the first 20 minutes of the second half. The team began to manage the game and get used to that speed. But physically, it was too demanding to maintain that level for 90 minutes."
"Today, it was not about tactics, game plans, or skills; it was solely about response speed and decision-making speed."
"Therefore, against the next two teams, I made substitutions at halftime to save players for the upcoming two matches. That was the reason for preparation and to let other players get used to playing at that speed."
"Facing a top 5 world team like Japan is a very important lesson. Today, it was not about tactics, plans, or skills but about response speed and decision-making under pressure. Football is not only about teamwork."
"It is about individual potential combined as a team. Although playing at this game speed for 90 minutes is currently too taxing physically, this is a key opportunity to assess ourselves, identify weaknesses, and develop to reach that level in the future."
In their next match, the Thailand women's national football team will face Chinese Taipei in the second Group E match of the Asian Games women's football tournament at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Shizuoka, Japan, on 17 September 2026 at 14:00 Thailand time, broadcast live on MCOT HD 30 and AIS PLAY application.