Manuel Bihr said national teams should not be divided into A and B sides when assessing Thailand’s 2-0 victory over Vietnam. VnExpress cited the defender’s view that every selected player has quality and that the match was simply a contest between the two national teams.

The comments followed debate over Vietnam’s missing regulars and Thailand’s stronger available squad at this tournament. Bihr emphasized the players’ national-team status rather than using lineup labels to explain the September 29 result.