Bangkok: Chanathip Songkrasin, captain of the Thai national football team, has expressed that despite their recent 2-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, the team must secure victories in all remaining matches to ensure qualification for the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
According to Thai News Agency, the match, which was part of the Asian Cup qualifying round, Group D, was held at Rajamangala National Stadium. Thailand, ranked 101st globally, faced off against Chinese Taipei, ranked 173rd. The Thai team was led by coach Masatada Ishii, who had to adapt to the absence of two forwards by employing a false striker formation, with Benjamin Davis at the helm and Chanathip Songkrasin contributing to the offensive efforts.
During the match, Thailand dominated possession but initially struggled to break through the defense. The breakthrough came in the 51st minute when Supachai Sarachat set up Seksan Ratri, who scored with a header. Chanathip secured the win with a volley in the 78th minute, concluding the game with a 2-0 victory for Thailand. However, the match saw two Thai players, Charoensak Wongkorn and Jonathan Khemdee, sustain injuries, necessitating substitutions.
Post-match, coach Ishii commended his team for their perseverance and expressed satisfaction with the victory. Despite the current system lacking a target striker, he emphasized the need to strategize for more scoring opportunities in future games and address the team's injury concerns.
Chanathip, reflecting on the match, noted that the team anticipated a defensive strategy from their opponents and stressed the importance of patience and maintaining positions. He reiterated the necessity of winning all upcoming matches to achieve their goal.
Supachai Sarachat also commented on Chinese Taipei's unexpected defensive play, which prompted Thailand to intensify their attack in the second half, resulting in the two goals. The win has boosted the team's confidence moving forward.
Currently, Thailand shares six points with Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka after three matches, but due to an inferior goal difference, they are positioned third in the group. The next match in Group D will see Thailand facing Chinese Taipei again on October 14th at Taipei Municipal Stadium.