Teerasil Dangda not just earned a place in AFF Suzuki Cup history but also shaped the playoff picture in Group A for this year’s edition as he led Thailand to a 2-1 win over the Philippine Azkals in a crucial group stage battle at the Singapore National Stadium on Tuesday night.
Dangda scored a brace for the War Elephants which made him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
But the brace also earned his team a spot in the semifinals with one match to spare while eliminating the Azkals, who lost to Singapore last week, from playoff contention.
Dangda broke a tie with Noh Alam Shah as the top goal scorer of the Suzuki Cup in the 26th minute after drilling the opening goal of the match off a cross from the left flank, his 18th overall.
However, Thailand, which has kept a clean sheet two matches in, let the Azkals sneak one goal in after Patrick Reichelt scored in the 57th minute off a corner kick.
The decider came in the 77th minute when Amani Aguinaldo was called for a foul inside the penalty area while trying to stop a Thai player who is just inches away from the goal, and a minute later, Dangda, despite Kevin Hansen correctly guessing the spot, drilled a powerful penalty into the net for the win.
Thailand would now need to beat Singapore on Saturday night to seal the top seed in Group A.
The Azkals, on the other hand, will finish their stint against Myanmar also on Saturday night.
Source: Philippines News Agency
