Soccer-Thais rout Macau, UAE clinch late winner

By Martin Petty

BANGKOK, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Thailand began their 2010 World Cup qualification campaign with a stylish 6-1 thumping of lowly Macau on Monday.

Vietnam, however, did not enjoy the same fortune and were beaten 1-0 by the United Arab Emirates.

Out of favour striker Surayuth Chaikamdee, who was dropped from the Thais' Asian Cup squad, scored a goal in each half of the first round match to finish off their hapless 188th-ranked opponents.

Vietnam, who beat UAE to reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in July, fell behind in the 79th minute when Basheer Al Hammadi broke the deadlock in the ill-tempered first leg match.

Tajikistan boosted their chances of reaching the second round after earning a 1-1 draw away to Bangladesh.

In front of a crowd of only 700 people in the cricket-obsessed country, Bangladesh went ahead five minutes after the break through Zumratul Mithu.

But that lead was short-lived as striker Numondzhon Khakimov converted a spot kick to level the scoreline.

The Thais, Southeast Asia's most successful team, took the lead after eight minutes when Surayuth latched on to a neat through ball from Teerasil Dangda and ran 40 metres before rounding the keeper.