Thailand coach Anthony Hudson stressed his players will have to earn their places in his team based on merit after the seven-times champions made a strong start to their ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 Group B campaign with a 5-0 win over Laos in Vientiane on Saturday.
Kakana Khamyok scored twice in only his third appearance for Thailand, who faced 10 men throughout the second half after Laos defender Phetdavanh Somsanid was sent off with two minutes remaining of the opening period for a foul on Yotsakon Burapha.
Hudson’s line-up featured a mixture of youth and experience with 21-year-old Yotsakon and 23-year-old Teerasak Poeiphimai also on the scoresheet in a match dominated by Thailand from the opening whistle.
“I have been extremely impressed with all the young players who have joined the squad,” said Hudson. “I have also been impressed with the senior players. Everyone has trained very well.
“We are not going to hand out starting positions or playing time simply because a player is young or experienced. Opportunities will be given to the players who deserve them, and the younger players have trained very well.
“We now have a period before the match against Malaysia in which the players can improve their fitness and performance levels. We will then select the squad for the Malaysia match.”
Thailand will have a week to prepare for their meeting with Tan Cheng Hoe’s side, who battled back to win 2-1 against Myanmar in their opening match, and Hudson is relishing the opportunity to spend more time with his players as they raise their fitness levels further.
“I am very pleased that we have started the tournament with a victory,” he said. “This was the first 90 minutes of competitive football for many of the players, so I was pleased that we were able to come through the match without any serious injury concerns.
“I was also very pleased with the way we played and approached the game for large periods.”
Laos coach Vladica Grujić admitted his side had fallen short of the standard set by the Thais.
“The match went badly for us from the beginning,” he said. “Thailand’s first two shots on target resulted in two goals, and we then received a red card while playing against one of the best teams in the region.
“In those circumstances, it is very difficult to achieve a positive result. Thailand are operating at a higher level than us at the moment.
“The difference was clear on the pitch. Their players were bigger and stronger. We had a plan before the match but, as I said, Thailand scored with their first two shots on target before we received the red card. After that, there was very little we could do.”
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