"Personally, I don't understand what the Thai players think. But I never accept that (scoring a goal when I should have returned the ball to the opponent - PV) for myself, I don't allow myself to do that ," Nguyen Quang Hai replied when asked about Supachok Sarachat's goal.

In the 64th minute of the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final between Thailand and Vietnam, Nguyen Dinh Trieu kicked the ball out of bounds so that medical staff could attend to his injured teammate. Then, instead of returning the ball, striker Supachok Sarachat kicked the ball straight into the goal, scoring a goal to the astonishment of the Vietnamese team. Of course, the goal was recognized because it was legal.

However, in terms of sports ethics, this was an ugly goal that did not receive consensus from fans. Vietnamese fans strongly criticized Supachok and many Thai people were not very happy when the player scored such a goal.

" I think I always worship the beauty in football. This is ultimately just a sport, in the end we need to behave the best in any situation. Fans come to the stadium to enjoy the beauty," said Nguyen Quang Hai.

Quang Hai was one of the players who reacted the most strongly, along with Thanh Chung and Duy Manh. He could not accept Thailand's behavior that disregarded sportsmanship to score a goal.

Referee Ko Hyung-jin personally spoke with many Thai players and the home team's coaching staff. The Korean referee suggested that the Thai team let the Vietnamese players score a goal because Supachok's shot was "not in accordance with the spirit of sportsmanship". However, this player and his teammates flatly refused the suggestion.

The Thai team did not play fair. However, in terms of the rules, they did not commit a foul. Supachok Sarachat scored a valid goal, the ball was in play and there was no contact. The referee had no choice but to allow the goal. Normally, teams with a fair play mentality will allow their opponents to score immediately after the kick-off.