Thailand 50-year home gold record shattered by Vietnam
Thailand suffered a historic loss on home soil last night, December 18, as the men’s national football team was defeated by Vietnam 3-2 in the SEA Games 2025 final, marking the first time in 50 years that Thailand has failed to win gold as host.
The clash at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium saw Thailand take a confident 2-0 lead in the first half, only for Vietnam to pull off an extraordinary comeback and secure victory in extra time. The result means Thailand’s men’s team has now gone eight years without a SEA Games football title.
Thailand opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a spectacular free-kick from captain Yotsakorn Burapha, his seventh goal of the tournament, followed by a well-worked second goal ten minutes later, with Seksan Ratree
finishing off an attacking move started by Kakana Khamyok.
However, Vietnam responded quickly after halftime with a penalty in the 49th minute, converted by Nguyen Dinh Bac following a foul in the box by Thai goalkeeper Sorawat Phosaman, putting them back in the game. Vietnam then equalised in the 60th minute through a header by Pham Ly Duc from a corner, sending the match into extra time at 2-2.
In the added period, Nguyen Thanh Nhan scored from close range to seal the comeback and secure the gold for Vietnam, reclaiming the title they lost in 2023 in Cambodia.
For Thailand, the defeat marked the first time since 1975 that the Thai men’s football team had failed to win gold while hosting the SEA Games. Historically dominant on home turf, Thailand previously claimed gold in every SEA Games held in the country, in 1975, 1985, 1995, and 2007.
In similar news, Vietnam reportedly lodged a formal complaint after Thailand once again displayed the wrong national flag during a 2025 SEA Games event, marking the third flag error since the competition began.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
