KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand came from behind to defeat Malaysia 2-1 to secure their secure their second consecutive ASEAN Cup Under-13 championship at Petaling Jaya stadium on Sunday. The 2-1 victory made Thailand the first country to retain their title, in the fourth edition of the tournament. With the defeat Malaysia became the first host country not to be victorious as hosts. Indonesia won in 2010 when the tournament was held in Jakarta. Last year, Thailand took the title in Muang Thong Thani. Malaysia's previous best in the tournament was also finishing runners-up in 2008 when it lost to Vietnam in the final. But it was a marked improvement over last year when Malaysia failed to get past the preliminary rounds. There was more joy for Thailand when striker Chokanan Samai-in was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Striker Muhammad Nurfais Johari earned some consolation for Malaysia Yellow when he walked away with the top scorer's award with four goals. Malaysia Yellow had only themselves to blame for the defeat when they relaxed their grip on the match in the 10 minutes of play to allow Thailand score twice – with the winner coming deep into injury time – thanks to Chokanan's speed which punished the Malaysian backline.
