War Elephants triumph in 2023 Asian Cup opener
Thailand's national football team opened the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar with a 2-0 victory over the Kyrgyz Republic, with striker Supachai Chaided's decisive performance handing the squad two goals.
The match on Tuesday marks the second game for Masatada Ishii, appointed head coach of Thailand following Mano Pölking’s departure in November. The War Elephants are in Group F together with Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Before the match started, Thailand ranked 113th in the FIFA world rankings, while its rival was in 98th place. The War Elephants were also missing two important players, with both Chanathip Songkrasin and Teerasil Dangda out due to injury.
Thailand scored in the 14th minute but the goal was disallowed by VAR.
The Southeast Asian team took the lead in the 26th minute when Buriram’s United’s Supachai, the top scorer in the Thai League 2022-2023 season, tapped the ball into the goal after a shot by Thai winger Bordin Phala was saved.
The first half of the game ended with a score of 1-0 despite Kyrgyzstan having more ball possession at 56%.
Just three minutes into the second half, Supachai netted a goal after a deflected ball from a Kyrgyz defender moved towards him, making it 2-0.
In the 63rd minute, the 25-year-old attacker missed an opportunity to become a hat trick hero, failing to take the ball from a cross by captain Theerathon Bunmathan.
The War Elephants’ 2-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan broke several records.
This is Thailand's first Asian Cup opening match victory and its third Asian Cup victory overall. The first two occurred when the team played against Bahrain in 2019 and Oman in 2007.
The two goals make Supachai the top Thai scorer in the Asian Cup tournament with three goals to his name. He previously scored one in 2019.
In a post-match interview, Ishii said, “The tournament's opening match was difficult, but we managed to secure three points, and I am delighted with it.”
The Japanese head coach said that the victory stemmed from the connection on the pitch of the players, noting that he had called on players used to playing with other teammates so that they would feel linked on the field.
Thailand is set to take on Oman on January 21 and Saudi Arabia on January 25.
