Thailand suffered a 1-2 defeat to Singapore in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-finals held on the evening of August 18th at Rajamangala Stadium. However, a 3-1 victory in the first leg helped coach Anthony Hudson's team qualify for the final with a total score of 4-3 after two legs.
After the match, coach Anthony Hudson said he was proud that his players achieved their goal of reaching the final, but was not satisfied with their performance at home.
First of all, I am proud that the players were able to bring the team to the final, achieving the goal. This team has a combination of young players and older players, I am proud of everyone.
However, the result was disappointing. I think we could have done better, especially missing many golden opportunities to equalize in the match," coach Anthony Hudson said.
Thailand faced many difficulties against Singapore's proactive play. In the 44th minute, goalkeeper Kampol Pathomakkakul made a mistake when rushing out of the goal, creating conditions for Harhys Stewart to score the opening goal.
The home team equalized in the 61st minute after being awarded a penalty. Kakana Khamyok successfully took a shot from the 11m spot, bringing the match back to balance.
However, Singapore quickly regained the advantage. In the 68th minute, center-back Pansa Hemviboon unintentionally scored an own goal after the opponent's finish, helping the away team lead 2-1.
Thailand could not find an equalizer in the remaining time. However, this result was still enough for the Golden Temple team to advance thanks to the advantage created in the first leg.
Coach Hudson believes that fitness is also one of the reasons why Thailand could not maintain their best performance.
There were some problems with the whole match, especially in the first half when many players appeared tired and had to replace quite a few players due to cramps. But we still had enough time to recover for the final," he said.
The British strategist highly appreciates Singapore after two encounters in the semi-finals. According to him, the opponent has shown their ability when they have caused difficulties for many strong teams in the region.
Thailand will enter the final match against Vietnam or Malaysia. Coach Hudson affirmed that the team will quickly focus on the next goal.
In the past time, the team has suffered no less harsh criticism. Many people think that Thailand cannot go deep, but we still won to enter the final. I am proud of all the players, because we have reached the final," coach Anthony Hudson emphasized.
