New-look War Elephants settle for draw

A national squad featuring the new generation of War Elephants suffered a goalless home draw with Lebanon in a Fifa Day friendly on Thursday night at Thammasat Stadium.
Thailand’s Japanese head coach Masatada Ishii said his young players were somewhat unsettled by a strong start by Lebonon.
“In the first place, we had a very short time to prepare for this match and many players are new in the team,” Ishii told a post-match conference on Thursday night.
“The Lebanese team played very well in the beginning of the match. They are strong and have good fitness.
“For me, I wanted to win this match and if you look at the finer details, we are very pleased with our game.
“In the second half, we had to change both wingers as they were a bit slow in executing plans and making decisions. It could be because we had less time to prepare for the game, and if we can have more time in the future, I think these players will do better.
“In this match, I used Sarinkan [Promsupa] at the centre-back with Elias [Dolah] because of his potential and not because of his height.
“I told both new and old players to show their skills during this match as much as possible. I am quite happy with our offence and defence as all the players did well.”
The Thais had an opportunity in the 11th minute when debuting striker Phanthamit Praphan’s long shot was warded off by Lebanese skipper Kassem El Zein.
Phanthamit was denied once again in the first half when his header off an Anan Yodsangwal cross was saved by Lebanon goalkeeper Mostafa Matar.
The Thai national team will play their second friendly match of this Fifa Day break against neighbouring Laos at the same venue tomorrow night.
The match will be televised live by Thai Rath TV (32) starting 7.30pm.