I think it's rather clear even before the match started that the
Lions were the underdogs to begin with.
The Thais were going all out to take the fight to the Lions, and
certainly caught the off balance as they were pure pwnage for most
of the 1 half. They had every reason and motivation to equalize and
I suppose the Lions just weren't ready for that kind of elephant
onslaught and were put on the defensive for most of the match.
Certainly something that can be improved.
However if you look at it in another way, somehow the (at times
jury-rigged) defence managed to hold together against a regional
powerhouse and fend them off long enough for us to sneak in the
shot that mattered. I attribute the holding of the shaky defence in
both parts individual brillance on the Lion's part to not rout
under pressure, the poor finishing of the thais who could bring the
fight up, but just lack the edge of skill to convert their chances,
and often pure dumb luck that had our boys defend on the line at
one instance.
In the end the Thais played brilliant football, but were hampered
by their lack of a polished finish, and their own extremely
offensive way of taking the fight to the lion's half proved to be
their undoing as the fortunes of the game turned for just an
moment, enough for the Lions to make their better finishing then
the Thais count. The Thais just aren't used to getting balls netted
against them and I suppose it proved to a flaw in what is their
otherwise superior style.
So all in all a brilliant match, the Lions could still be improved
but they did go up against a traditionally superior foe and proved
that they can (shakily) hold their ground and even win the day. All
things considered fair and the refs are error-free, even if the
Thais had not gotten that penalty slapped on them we still would
have won given we netted the ball more times then them.
So in conclusion there is ample reason to celebrate, but of course
we should expect a better team the next time round!
