Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul shared his thoughts after Thailand's U23 national team lost 1-3 to North Korea U23 at CFA Team China 2026 tournament.
On 31 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Coach Wang Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul expressed his feelings following the "War Elephants" Thailand U23 national football team’s 1-3 defeat to the "Red Falcons" North Korea U23 national team at the CFA Team China International Youth Tournament Xi'an 2026.
In this match, Thailand U23 scored through Jehanafi Mama in the 52nd minute, while North Korea U23 got goals from An Kyong Ung at 19 minutes, Il Song Ri at 28 minutes, and Chu Guk at 86 minutes.
Recently, Coach Wang Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul said, "It was a very good game. Coming to this tournament, I wanted the players to experience this level. In these three games, this one against North Korea was against a team that emphasizes pressing. At first, we couldn't control the game early on. We had chances and could make adjustments, but then we conceded goals from quick plays in midfield and wide areas. In the second half, after adjustments, we managed to play the ball up front and in one-touch moves to score and successfully press several times."
"It's a pity. We had chances. If we had equalized 2-2 in the second half, the game would have been different. The players controlled the game well in the middle of the second half and handled the pressing game effectively. I told them that no matter the result, keep trying to play like this. Everyone is moving together. At the Asian level, we will definitely face pressing games like this often."
"We need to evaluate. Over the three matches in this tournament, we scored in all three. Our finishing is acceptable, though in some matches and moments we wasted chances, which we need to fix. Defensively, we must improve. We used three different goalkeepers across the three matches—one per game. I want the players to experience this level. When they arrived, I asked if we should focus on results; we want results but more importantly to give the players experience."
"I apologize to the fans for not being able to secure the win and the championship in this tournament. I want to ask the fans to continue supporting the Thailand U23 team."
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