Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Fujairah: Korea Republic may have defeated Thailand 2-1 to boost their chances of a place in the quarter-finals of the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship but head coach Lee Kwang-jong still expressed his disappointment at the number of chances his side failed to convert.
The Koreans put the disappointment of Kim Hyun's second-minute penalty miss to take a 23rd minute lead through Heo Yong-joon and although Thitiphan Puangjan levelled for the Thais in the second-half, Kim Seung-jun was on hand to seal victory for the Koreans after a defensive howler from the ASEAN side.
But the number of chances that his charges spurned saw Lee cut a disappointed figure at the post-match press conference.
"I thank my players for the win but today we had many chances that we didn't take," lamented Lee.
"The Thai team is not physically strong but each player has their individual strengths. We won because we played better than Thailand but I am upset that we didn't take the many chances that we had as we could have won by two or three more goals."
The win put the 11-time AFC U-19 Champions on four points with their final Group B match on Wednesday, which is against a China side that succumbed to their second successive defeat by going down 2-1 to Iraq in Monday's earlier match at the Fujairah Stadium.
Reflecting on Korea's chances of progression to the quarter-finals and the forthcoming match against a Chinese side with nothing but pride to play for Lee said:
"I don't think about first or second place. I only think about the match we are playing and how we can win them.
"But China have already lost two matches and they won't want to accept a third defeat and this is why we might struggle against them on Wednesday."
Thailand coach Arjharn Songngamsap remained positive despite the defeat but refused to hold any individuals accountable for the loss after a collision between Narubadin Weerawatnodom and Perapat Notchaiya allowed Kim Seung-Jun to score the winning goal in the 73rd minute.
"We are sad about the result. We tried our best but just couldn't get what we wanted. In football there will always be mistakes and one mistake can decide the final result of the match but I don't blame any of my players for Korea's second goal," said Arjharn, who now turns his attention to Wednesday's must-win meeting with Iraq.
"The Iraq team has strong players and we have to prepare for the match knowing that they are physically stronger than us."