FOOTBALL: Thailand coach Mano Polking said he was happy after the War Elephants beat Hong Kong 1-0 in a friendly on Monday night (June 19).
Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda in action against Hong Kong. Photo: Bangkok Post
Striker Teerasil Dangda scored the winner after 63 minutes at Hong Kong Stadium.
Thailand, who were held to a 2-2 by Taiwan last Friday, dominated for long periods but could only get one goal, reports the Bangkok Post.
“We are pleased with the game because our target was to do better than the previous match,” said Polking.
“We also did not concede a goal. We tried very hard in creating chances. We had several shooting chances but we had to wait until the second half to get the goal.
“Towards the end of the match, Hong Kong piled the pressure on us but we helped one another and did not make mistakes like we did in the previous game.”
Thailand will next play in the King’s Cup in Chiang Mai from Sept 4-12. The tournament features four teams – Thailand, Lebanon, India and Iraq.
Iraq have replaced the United Arab Emirates who have withdrawn from the annual tournament.
The War Elephants will play warm-up games in Europe in October before taking part in the Asian Cup to be held in Qatar in January 2024.
The Thais are in Group F with Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Oman.
The top two teams in six groups plus four best third-placed sides advance to the last-16 round.
“Our goal in the Asian Cup is to qualify for the knockout stage,” Polking said.
“We must be well-prepared to meet the target.”
Thailand have reached the knockout round of the tournament only once in 2019.
