Syria head coach Mohammad Kwid said his side had switched tactics coming into the game.

"We focused on defence in our first two matches because we have had problems in that area,” he said. ”Today’s situation was different as we played to score and win, but when you don’t score from such opportunities you are exposed to goals."

He said his side was also caught off guard by Thailand’s game.

"They surprised us in the first half with a high-pressure game,” he said. "But it changed after the red card (for Thai keeper Anut Samran) and then we had opportunities that we did not miss."

Thailand head coach Emerson Pereira was proud of his team, but said Anut’s dismissal in the 45th minute for handling the ball outside the box disrupted their rhythm. 

“We knew Syria played long balls all the time,” said the Brazilian. “So we prepared for this and controlled the game in the first half, but it became tougher when we were down to 10 players.

“We had a very good game and we would have won if we had played 11 against 11.”