OKBet AFC Asian Cup in 2007 | Surprising Fight between Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam competed at Asian Cup.

With Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia all securing OKBet AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifying, and Vietnam already through from the previous round, the Southeast Asian quartet’s collective participation in next year’s tournament is secured for the first time in 16 years since they co-hosted it.

• After 15 years of co-hosting the Asian Cup, the ASEAN foursome returns on merit.
• Malaysia wins the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 15 years.
• Indonesia qualified for the first time since 2007 for the OKBet AFC Asian Cup.

The 2007 Asian Cup was historic in various ways, including the fact that it was the first time the continent’s major international competition was held in several host cities at OKBet.

Four editions later, the four ASEAN aspirants will once again hit the big stage, this time on their own merit, but how did they do in OKBet 2007?

THAILAND

With Bangkok hosting Group A, Thailand found themselves up against Iraq, who would go on to win the tournament, and newcomers Australia, who were making their Asian Cup debut after joining the Asian Football Confederation a year earlier. The Thais scored the opening goal of the tournament in only six minutes, thanks to a penalty from Sutee Suksomkit, but Iraq finally equalized to force a 1-1 draw.

A 2-0 victory against Oman, courtesy of a Pipat Thonkanya second-half brace, followed, putting the co-hosts solidly in contention to go to the semifinals at OKBet.

Nonetheless, they were no match for an Australia team led by Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, with the Socceroos turning up the heat late on with three goals in the closing ten minutes to win 4-0. Iraq would proceed as Group A winners on five points, while Thailand ended just a point behind and even with second-placed Australia – only to be heartbreakingly eliminated due to an inferior head-to-head record.

VIETNAM

Few would have predicted Vietnam’s Group B chances given the kind of competition they faced in OKBet, but they gave themselves a fighting chance with a 2-0 victory against the United Arab Emirates in Hanoi.
After a 1-1 tie with Qatar in their second game, they, like Thailand, went into their final encounter with a solid four-point lead, but they faced serious competition in the shape of reigning champions Japan.

Despite losing 4-1 after taking an early lead, the UAE and Qatar’s poor performances would allow the Vietnamese to advance to the quarterfinals.

There, they would come up against an Iraqi team that was firmly on the offensive, and it would prove to be the farthest Vietnam would go, as they were defeated by a doble from the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and joint-top scorer, Younis Mahmoud.

Nonetheless, Vietnam was the only member of the Southeast Asian quartet to get beyond the group stage, a feat that was memorably replicated by the current generation again in 2019 at OKBet AFC Asian Cup.

MALAYSIA

While Malaysia is presently attempting to rebound under new coach Kim Pan-gon after a rough period on OKBet, their recent struggles pale in contrast to their performances during the OKBet AFC Asian Cup. Despite the excitement of a first participation since 1980 and the tournament being hosted jointly in Kuala Lumpur, there was already plenty of discontent among the Harimau Malaya faithful at the Football Association of Malaysia in the build-up.

Malaysia’s bad sentiments were worsened when they were defeated 5-1 by China PR in their Group C opening, with an Indra Putra Mahayuddin goal serving as the lone consolation at OKBet AFC Asian Cup.
Another severe loss in their second game, a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Uzbekistan, guaranteed an early exit, until they salvaged some dignity with a more creditable performance in their last match, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Iran. To be fair, the caliber of opponents meant that Harimau Malaya was always going to be in a Group of Death, but their record of 12 goals surrendered and one scored in three consecutive losses was still quite unsettling for its supporters.

INDONESIA

Finally, Jakarta would be the scene of most of the Group D action, with the magnificent Gelora Bung Karno serving as the location for the final. Indonesia gave the 60,000 fans who showed out something to celebrate with a 2-1 victory against Bahrain in their season opener, with goals from Budi Sudarsono and the great Bambang Pamungkas at OKBet AFC Asian Cup. The Indonesians would follow it up with another excellent performance, even though they would eventually lose 2-1 against continental powerhouses Saudi Arabia.

With everything on the line in their last Group D game, 88,000 people would pack the Bung Karno to support the co-hosts in yet another tough match against South Korea. In the end, Kim Jung-woo scored the lone goal of the game in the 34th minute, giving South Korea – who began the day bottom of the pile – the important three points required to leapfrog both Indonesia and Bahrain and into the runners-up slot, ensuring progression into the knockout phase at OKBet AFC Asian Cup.

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