The Joeys have lost 3-2 to host nation Thailand in their opening match of the AFC U-16 Championship qualifier at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok last night.
The Joeys led via a Thailand mistake with a pass-back to the goalkeeper awarded an indirect free kick, which Taylor Tombides scored from.
However, the young chargers conceded three goals including a penalty to the Thais to trail 3-1 shortly after half-time.
A goal for Conor O’Neill reduced the deficit and provide his team hope but the home team held strong to take the points.
Joeys Head Coach Jan Versleijen, already under fire following youth team performances in the U-23 World CUp and U-17 World Cup was very disappointed with his team’s first up performance.
“Without having played much together before the tournament, it took us some time to get the cohesion that we needed to play well,” said Versleijen.
“Although the conditions were very difficult for the players, we created enough chances to win the game, but were unable to convert them to take the points.
“Fortunately, the tournament does not depend on a single result, so we must now regroup and make sure we win the next matches to ensure qualification to the AFC Championship,” concluded Versleijen.
The senior Australian Socceroos faced a tough challenge against Thailand recently, going down an early goal before recording a narrow win.
The Joeys will next face Myanmar on Wednesday 14 September at 9.00pm AEST.
The AFC U-16 Championship will serve as the qualifying event for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in October/November.
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