Thailand tie source of motivation, says Sunil Chhetri

Including the first meeting, which India won 4-1 at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, the Blue Tigers and Changsuek have played 26 times

Hyderabad: From the Asian Games to the Asian Cup, from the King’s Cup to the Nehru Cup, the history of India versus Thailand clashes in men’s football is a long one.
Including the first meeting, which India won 4-1 at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, the Blue Tigers and Changsuek have played 26 times.

The head-to-head reads: seven wins for India, 12 for Thailand, and seven draws. The previous two matches, however, were both won by India in 2019 — a sensational 4-1 win at the AFC Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory to win bronze at the King’s Cup on Thai soil.

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Sunil Chhetri, who scored the first two goals in the Asian Cup victory, reminisced about the performance that ended India’s 55-year wait for a win at the continental showpiece event.

“That was a long time back. What I remember of the game was that the team was outstanding. (Anirudh) Thapa was amazing. So was Udanta (Singh Kumam). The defence was amazing. Ashique (Kuruniyan) started with me, and he was good. The whole team was really, really good in that game,” he told the-aiff.com.

“I think at that time, Thailand was probably better than us on paper by a mile. We were underdogs in that game, and to win the game the way we did — it wasn’t just four goals but the way we held ourselves and dominated the game — was really fantastic,” said Chhetri, who became the first Indian to score at two Asian Cups in that match.

The 40-year-old added that it serves as a source of motivation for the Blue Tigers as they prepare to face Thailand again in the FIFA International Friendly on June 4 at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani.

“That’s also a marker for us to know that on a good day, if we work hard, that’s what we can achieve. That game was special because a lot of young people did really well. So, we are taking a lot of positivity and inspiration from the game,” said Chhetri.

While India are currently placed 127th in the FIFA Rankings, Thailand are 99th.

For the Changsuek, the friendly against India serves as preparation for their AFC Asian Cup Final Round Qualifier against Turkmenistan. Thailand began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in March — a game the island nation “did not deserve to lose,” according to Manolo Márquez.