Bangkok: Siroch Chatthong was the hero as Thailand were crowned AFF Championship 2016 winners after their 2-0 win over Indonesia on Saturday evening earned the War Elephants a 3-2 aggregate victory and their record fifth title in the regional tournament.
The Thais not only successfully defended their 2014 title at the packed Rajamangala Stadium but also overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of the final match held in Bogor, Indonesia, three days earlier.
The Thais opened the scoring six minutes before the interval as Fachruddin Aryanto cleared the ball straight into an incoming Siroch who made no mistake and rebounded the ball into the net.
Two minutes after the break, salt was rubbed on the hosts’ wounds with Siroch completing his double and his side’s eventual winner as he received an intelligent pass from Chanathip Songkrasin before curling a shot past the hapless Kurnia Meiga into goal.
The victory placed Thailand as the new record holder, a position previously held by Singapore with four titles. The Kingdom previously won the tournament in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2014.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com