Thailand coach Anthony Hudson praised his players’ performance in the 2-0 win over Malaysia on Saturday that moved his team into pole position in Group B of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 despite a late rally by the visitors at Rajamangala Stadium.
Yotsakon Burapha’s 38th minute penalty gave the Thais the lead and Teerasak Poeiphimai doubled the advantage 11 minutes after the restart, while goalkeeper Kampon Phatomakkakul was called upon to see off a late Malaysian push to safeguard the points.
“I am incredibly proud of the players,” said Hudson. “For large periods of the match, I thought we played some very good football. The closing stages are something we are aware of and, over the course of the tournament, we need to continue improving the players’ fitness levels.
“Towards the end, we were holding on a little because four or five players were suffering from cramp and other physical issues. However, I am very proud of the players for keeping a clean sheet, playing some very good football and securing another positive result in the tournament.”
Thailand lead Malaysia on goal-difference with both teams on six points, although the Thais have played one game fewer. Myanmar sit in third with three points, level with the Philippines while Laos have yet to pick up a point.
Hudson’s team handed the Malaysians their first defeat of the tournament after Tan Cheng Hoe’s side had started their campaign with successive wins over Myanmar and Laos, with the absence of influential Endrick dos Santos due to injury pivotal in the Englishman’s eyes.
“Malaysia are a very dangerous team,” he said. “When Endrick dos Santos was unavailable, he was clearly a player they missed. However, they still have very quick and dynamic wingers. I also like their striker, Sergio Agüero, who performed well.
“Their coach has done a very good job with the team, and they made a strong start to the tournament. They are a complicated team to play against.”
The loss was the first suffered by Malaysia since Tan took over on an interim basis following the departure of Peter Cklamovski on the eve of the tournament and leaves the Harimau Malaya second in the standings ahead of their meeting with the Philippines next week.
“I think we lost to a better team,” said Tan, who experienced his first defeat to the Thais as a coach. “However, it was a good experience for these young players to face strong opponents, gain exposure and prepare themselves for the future.
“The result was certainly frustrating for the entire team, but I know the players gave their best throughout the 90 minutes. There were several moments when we could have scored, but ultimately we were unable to prevent Thailand from scoring twice against us.”
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