Teerasil Dangda and Thana Chanabut each scored one goal and set up another to help Thailand secure a comeback 4-2 victory over a gritty Taiwan side yesterday, which put them on the brink of automatic qualification for the last-12 team round of the World Cup qualifiers.
The visiting Taiwan side stunned the boisterous crowd at the packed Rajamangala National stadium when Yen Yaki headed in a header from a corner only three minutes into the game. Briefly reeling from the early setback, the hosts, though, gradually asserted themselves on the match before their effort was rewarded when Teerasil equalised just before halftime.
Teerasil then turned provider after the interval by setting up Pokklaw Anan to put the Thais in front. However, the Taiwanese, who were without a point from their first three games, were able to restore the parity midway through the second half.
It was then left to substitute Thana to imitate Teerasil's feat by first teeing up Adisak Kraisorn to put the home side ahead again before sealing the crucial win with a 74th-minute strike, much to the delight of the capacity crowd.
The win left the Thais at the top of the table with 13 points from five matches, eight ahead of 2007 Asian champions and group favourites Iraq, who played two games fewer. It means the Thais just need a point from their final group match against the Iraqis in March to ensure direct passage into the final qualifying round for only the second time.