Thailand beat Australia for fourth title, Vietnam finish third

But what made the victory magnificent for the Thais was the fact that they had to come back from two goals down before they were able to put down the aspiring young Matildas.

“It was a very difficult game, especially when we were down by two goals. I really thought it would be tough to win this tie,” said Thailand head coach Nuengrutai Sraithongvian.

“I am very proud of the players for coming back into this game the way they did.”

The Thais – three times champions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 – who had beaten the same Australian side 4-2 in the group stage would find them a totally different kettle of fish.

Several positional changes saw the speedy Kanjana Sung-ngoen being clamped down on the right while the usually explosive Suchawadee Niidhamrong had a rather quiet night at the start.