Chanwit Pholchivin's side could be forgiven for not hitting top gear in the home leg as a draw was enough to send them through to the final after a convincing 2-0 away victory by the three-time champions a fortnight ago.

Unlike Thailand, the Singaporeans faced a far rockier route to the final. They needed nerves of a steel to seal a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over plucky Malaysia on Saturday after the aggregate result put both teams at 2-2. The final of the tournament, formerly known as Tiger Cup, will also be held in the home-and-away format. The first leg will take place in Singapore on Wednesday and a return leg on February 4.

Excitement was high among the thousands of fans who thronged the Suphachalasai stadium yesterday evening to give it its first capacity crowd in many years. The atmosphere recalled of the old days, with the sound of bugles and drums reverberating all over the venue throughout the game. Thailand refused to rely on their healthy advantage and tried to establish a hold on the game from the opening stage.

However, with their backs against the wall, Alfred Riedl's side sent a clear message that they were not resigned to their fate. The visitors warmed the hands of Kittisak Rawangpa with Phan Than Binh's stinging drive from outside the penalty area, which the Thai goalie tipped over the bar.

Thailand retaliated, but Sarayoot Chaikamdee missed two excellent chances to put the home side in front in the space of barely a minute, much to the disappointment of the noisy crowd. The forward, lurking in front of the six-yard box, first blasted a Datsakorn Thonglao cut-back high over the bar. As if that was not bad enough, he scooped his second attempt from a point-blank position high into the stands.

Chanwit' men would have found themselves behind had it not been for a superb save from Kittisak, who proved equal to Phan Than Binh's audacious overhead kick from a difficult angle after Thach Bao Khanh headed back into the goal mouth.

The chances then dries out at both ends as play was tainted by poor passing. With the half-time approaching, the game picked up pace and Thailand nearly broke the deadlock in a swift counterattack.

Sarayoot received the ball on the left before delivering a cross-field pass to Suchao Nutnum. The midfielder then made a surging run to the baseline before pulling it back to Datsakorn, who agonisingly sent his shot wide of the target.

The hosts survived late scares from Vietnam, only for poor finishing to keep the score level at the end of the first half.

Although the visitors were in desperate need of a goal after the interval to have even a faint hope of a comeback, they never really threatened the Thai goal. Thailand, on their part, seemed to be happier to sit back and defend their advantage.

With time running out, the Vietnamese appeared to acknowledge their plight and Thailand comfortably hung on for a draw to book their place in the final for the fourth time.

Kitinan Sanguansak

 The Nation