Before the match, Thailand and Turkmenistan teams both had 12 points after 5 matches. However, due to losing 1-3 in the first leg, the "War Elephants" are forced to win in the rematch at Rajamangala stadium if they want to take the lead in the group.
With the goal of winning all 3 points, coach Anthony Hudson fielded a strong squad with many key players such as Theerathon Bunmathan, Chanathip Songkrasin or Supachai Chaided. The home team quickly controlled the game and created pressure from the beginning.
In the 14th minute, from a corner kick on the right wing, Theerathon Bunmathan crossed the ball accurately for Suphanan Bureerat to jump high and head the ball to open the score for Thailand. In the remainder of the first half, the home team continued to maintain the overwhelming game but could not increase the gap.
In the second half, the game suddenly changed when Turkmenistan pushed up the attacking formation. In the 60th minute, Teymur Charyyev scored to equalize 1-1 with a beautiful long-range shot, bringing the match back to balance.
Being equalized in an important moment, the Thai team increased pressure in the last 30 minutes of the match. The home team's efforts were rewarded in the 89th minute when Manuel Tom Bihr headed in from close range to score the winning goal 2-1.
With this result, the Thai team won 15 points after 6 matches, surpassed Turkmenistan to top Group D and won a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals. This is also the 4th representative of Southeast Asia to participate in the tournament, after Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore.
