Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, head coach of Thailand's U23 national team, spoke openly after a draw with Iraq in the final match of the 2026 Asian Championship.
On 12 Jan 2026, Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, head coach of Thailand's U23 national team, gave an interview following the 1-1 draw with Iraq in the second group stage match of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, Group D. He clearly stated his readiness to lead the team to fight for a win against China in the final match to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
"In this match, I must praise the players for their good performance, but we still made a mistake by conceding a penalty, which we need to improve on. Earning one point today means our goal remains the same, and we still have hope in the last match. Everyone is ready to fight in the final group stage game," Coach Wang said.
"Today’s game was an open exchange towards the end. We had several chances to score more goals late in the game but couldn't finish. We have to commend Iraq’s goalkeeper for making crucial saves. Iraq also had many opportunities, so we have to praise them too. Both teams played an entertaining match."
"Our team in this tournament has many young players, but everyone has performed beyond expectations. Our strength lies in unity and teamwork. In the first match, despite being down to ten men, the players showed great potential. Similarly, in this match, we fell behind first but managed to equalize and even had chances to take the lead."
"Our target is at least to reach the quarterfinals of this tournament. We have faced China before during FIFA days. China’s team consists of tall and strong players, but as long as we still have hope, even if it’s just one percent, we will give our all."
Thailand U23's next match will be against China U23 in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship Group D, third group stage match, at Al Shabab Club Stadium in Saudi Arabia on 14 January 2026 at 18:30 Thailand time.