Thailand‘s preparations for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup were not exactly smooth sailing — and it was a massive blow when it was confirmed that their star duo Chanathip Songkrasin and Teerasil Dangda would miss through injury.
Chanathip has been one of the continent’s leading playmakers in recent years and the War Elephants creator-in-chief for a decade now while Teerasil, while now entering the twilight of his career, still offered plenty of valuable experience from over a decade of being the most-feared striker in Southeast Asia.
Without them, and especially given recent turmoil which saw former coach Alexandre Polking replaced by Masatada Ishii just back in November, there was an air of uncertainty over how well-drilled a Thailand outfit would turn up in Qatar.
On Tuesday, the next generation of stars showed that they could have what it takes to fire Thailand deep in the tournament — as they opened their Group F campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Kyrgyz Republic.
Supachai Jaided proved to be the match winner with two goals either side of halftime, displaying the predatory instincts of a poacher that even Teerasil would have been proud.
His first came in the 26th minute when his late run into the box was rewarded with an open goal to finish into after Kyrgyz Republic goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotayev failed to get a firm enough hand on Supachok Sarachat‘s speculative 20-yard effort.
Credit: http://espn.co.uk
