Thailand coach Masatada Ishii acknowledged his team's defensive errors and admitted Vietnam played better and deserved the 3-2 win in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final to claim the title.

Despite losing the first leg to Vietnam, coach Masatada Ishii remains optimistic, preparing Thailand for a potential penalty shootout in the ASEAN Cup final’s decisive match.

Thailand, the record Asean Championship Cup winner – hunting an unprecedented three consecutive titles – must up its game against Vietnam in the second leg of this year’s final.

Thailand has played Vietnam 29 times, winning 18 of those games while losing just thrice. The remaining matches have been drawn.

In what was expected to be an ASEAN Championship final that would go down to the wire, the drama of extra-time and penalties ultimately was not required. Nonetheless, that did not stop the two finalists from combining to produce a sheer heart-stopper on Sunday -- as Vietnam prevailed in an epic second leg with a 3-2 win over Thailand at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium to win their third regional crown with a 5-3 aggregate triumph.

Many Thai fans expressed admiration for Nguyen Hoang Duc's talent and appearance, showing their affection for the Vietnam midfielder after his stellar performance against Thailand in the 2024 ASEAN Cup final.

Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii revealed that the team had two main objectives going into the tournament: winning the championship and ushering in a generational change within the squad.