Singapore, Thailand vie for record fourth title
Singapore and Thailand will vie for the honour of becoming Southeast
Asia's first four-time champions when the AFF Suzuki Cup final gets
under way on Wednesday.
Both teams have won the title three times, during a period in which
they shared it for the first six editions, and they are reunited in the
two-legged final after both failed to reach the semis at the last
tournament in 2010.
But two years after those disappointing campaigns, normal service has
been resumed as they topped their respective groups before battling
through tricky semi-finals to reach the final once again.
The Thais have done it in impressive fashion, winning all of their
group games against the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam before
disposing of defending champions Malaysia 3-1 on aggregate in the last
four.
The "War Elephants" have not won the regional title in a decade but
Winfried Schaefer's vibrant side will be favourites after netting 12
times in five games with striker Teerasil Dangda bagging a
tournament-leading five goals.
And in Datsakorn Thonglao, they have a talented and combative
midfielder who is determined to lift the title after finishing with
runners-up medals in 2007 and 2008.
"I have never been on the winning side in the AFF Suzuki Cup. It is a
gap in my career. I want to put that right this year," said the
28-year-old.
Datsakorn will be gunning to avenge the loss to Singapore in the 2007
final when Khairul Amri's thunderbolt with nine minutes left in the
second leg gave the Lions a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Amri has been hobbled by a series of injuries in the past four years
but he netted the only goal over two legs in a hard-fought semi-final
victory against the Philippines.
AFP
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