Vietnam has officially suffered an early exit from the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup after their 1 - 3 defeat to host Thailand at the last group stage match at Rajamangala Stadium on Friday. The second loss of the team at the Southeast Asia’s largest football event only added up to the huge disappointment of Vietnamese fans, although it is well predictable. There would be no sorry or regret for the team, given their poor performance throughout the group stage. With the semi ticket already in their hands, Thailand only sent their second formation to this insignificant game, but that was well enough to turn the Vietnamese men down. Kirati took the host to a 1 – 0 lead at the 21st minute when he received the ball without being controlled by any of the Vietnamese defenders. The Thai striker headed his second goal at the 65th minute, when the Vietnamese knew that everything was over. Van Quyet managed to scored a goal of honor six minutes later, before the match was settled from an own goal by midfielder Gia Tu.

The national team failed to put even the slightest positive impression on local fans during their all three group stage matches. Crowned the championship at the 2008 edition, the squad is now even unable to make it through the group stage. The Philippines meanwhile beat Myanmar 2 – 0 on the other Friday match, securing the second ticket to the semifinal. The Group B last round today will see clashes between host Malaysia and Indonesia, the second runner-up of the 2010 edition, and Singapore versus Laos. Indonesia only needs a draw to go through, while Malaysia has to beat them to win the ticket. Laos is not expected to make a miracle against Singapore, which is likely to win the Group B second semi ticket.Vietnam coach still trusted Vietnam’s coach Phan Thanh Hung has had an unwanted debut at the national team, as he is the very first domestic coach to take the helm of the team. He refused to attend the post-match media meeting, and was covered by head of the Vietnam delegation Ngo Le Bang. Asked about the future of Hung at the national team, Bang, who is also the general secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation, said they will maintain trusts in the coach. “His contract is only due in December 2013, and we will hold complete faith in him in the coming tournaments,” he told reporters. “We will not change the policy to utilize domestic coach as Hung has good knowledge about Vietnam football. Bang added however that the coach can ask to resign if he fails to withstand the pressure. “We also want to apologize to local fans who always support the team,” he said. “But that’s football.”