Manuel Bihr’s 89th minute header secured seven-times ASEAN Championship winners Thailand a 2-1 victory over Turkmenistan as Anthony Hudson’s side booked their place at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Bihr nodded in Theerathon Bunmathan’s corner from close range at Rajamangala Stadium to earn Thailand the win required to finish on top of Group D, climbing above Turkmenistan in the standings.
Suphanan Bureerat had given the Thais the lead in the 14th minute with a header from a Theerathon corner only for Teymur Charyyev to level for the visitors on the hour mark with a blistering strike from distance.
But Bihr’s winner means Thailand join fellow 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ participants Singapore and Vietnam in qualifying for the 24-nation continental championship.
The Philippines, however, missed out as a 1-1 draw with Tajikistan means Carles Cuadrat’s team will not appear at the finals as the Central Asian nation finished in top spot in Group A.
Raphael Obermair had given the Philippines a 19th minute lead but Sheriddin Boboev levelled four minutes before the interval to earn Tajikistan the point required to qualify.
Elsewhere, Singapore completed their commitments in Group C with a 1-0 win over Bangladesh with Harhys Stewart scoring the game’s only goal for Gavin Lee’s team. Singapore had been confirmed as group winners prior to kick-off.
Vietnam, meanwhile, handed Malaysia a 3-1 defeat in Ninh Binh with Nguyễn Xuân Son, currently the top scorer in this season’s ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ with seven goals, scoring twice as Kim Sang-sik’s side finished on top of Group F with a perfect record.
Myanmar ended their campaign on a high with a 2-1 win over Pakistan in Group E to finish second in the standings behind qualifiers Syria while Brunei lost 2-1 to Bhutan in Group B and Timor-Leste were beaten 2-1 by the Maldives in Group A.
The 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals will begin on January 7 with the final to be played on February 5.
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