Beaten Thais look back with pride - and ahead with hope

The European side dashed Thailand’s hopes of a hat-trick with a 4-3 victory in front of almost 45,000 fans at Rajamangala National Stadium. It was their second King’s Cup triumph to go with their first, in 2004.
 Despite giving everything they had in defence of their crown the home side weren’t able to keep up with the pacy  Slovaks and their superior skills.
“We played a world-class team who are really tough. It’s not easy to vie for the ball with them as they are very strong,” said the diminutive Consadole Sapporo forward in the J league.
He only returned from Japan a few days before the friendly but impressed many onlookers, including Slovakia’s coach Jan Kozak .

“We had only limited time to get our team together but we all gave our best, including the coaching staff.”
The large Thai crowd sang their hearts out to lift the home players’ spirits throughout the 90 minutes it was greatly appreciated.
“I really feel thankful for the fans’ support,” said Chanatip as he prepared to fly back to Japan yesterday.
“I have not witnessed such an atmosphere for a long time. Instead of feeling down, we should learn from this loss and improve in the future.”

National coach Milovan Rajevac praised his players for raising up their level and putting in a top-quality performance.
“They made this game one of the greatest matches since I have been in charge for the team,” said the Serbian. “Every player put up a great fight against a stronger team and gave them a tough time.
“Even though they didn’t defend the title, I felt like they won the gold medal. I’m very proud of them.”
The national team will assemble again at the end of the year for the AFC Suzuki Cup which features Asean nations.