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Published on October 4, 2007

The game had been a tight affair until the introduction of Kiatisak, who swung it in the hosts' favour.

Latching onto a defence-splitting pass on the left side of the box, Kiatisak had his angled shot parried by the visitors' goalie, leaving Pipat Thonkaya a simple task to tuck the ball into the empty net.

Things looked set to be a perfect night for Kiatisak but UAE's Nawaf Musabeh scored an equaliser towards the end of the game.

Banners to honour Kiatisak, a player tagged with hero's status, who led the Kingdom to four SEA Games titles, were hung around the venue. One said "Zico, the hero forever" and another simply "Zico, thank you".

While the sight of the trio Suree Sukha, Teerasil Daengda and Kiatprawut Saiwaeo, who played for the first time since returning from a trial with Manchester City, was an interesting distraction, all eyes, however, were on Kiatisak, running out for the last time in national team colours.

Coming on in the second-half to a rapturous greeting from the crowd, the 33-year-old Kiatisak was not as nimble a figure as before but he did show a glimpse of flair that enabled him become one of the most prolific strikers the country has ever produced.

One of the most emotional moments came when the referee blew the final whistle, which also meant the end of Zico's long-serving career with the team. He sank to his knees momentarily with his face welled with tears before getting up, waving goodbye to his adoring fans while walking off the field.

Given the unparalleled service he has provided the country throughout his career of over 15 years, Kiatisak will certainly lives on fans' memory as he stands on a par with the legendary striker Piyapong Piew-on.

"My dream has been realised since I put on the national shirt in my first match. I never thought I could play for the team for such a length of time. I'm thankful to all people who helped me all along," said a tearful Kiatisak.

Despite one star fading, the future still looks promising for the Thai team as other stars begin shining brighter.

Many of the current Thai squad showed they are capable of doing as good a job, if not better than their predecessors, by matching the Middle East team, who have already experienced the World Cup finals.

With the first World Cup qualifier - a home match against Macau on Monday - in mind, national coach Chanvit Pholchivin tried out a 4-3-3 formation, as he plans to use the same combinations.

Chanvit could draw lot of positives from the match. Had Pipat's second-half header not crashed off the crossbar, it would have been a glorious day for the Kingdom.

Kitinan Sanguansak

 The Nation