Thailand and Kazakhistan will faceoff in their opening match of the Asian Cup. The War Elephants eventually qualified for this competition again after defeating the Maldives 3-0 in their first Asian Cup qualification match in the third round. Meanwhile, the White Falcons finished their third-round group undefeated.
Preview (Thailand vs. Kyrgyzstan)
Four years ago, Thailand advanced past the group stage of this event for the first time. The War Elephants’ 2019 Asian Cup campaign was a huge success for this program. They went on to win back-to-back titles from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). Thailand is in second place after two games. They can move on to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying. Despite a few of those victories, the Thailand FA chose to take a different approach. They fired well-liked player André Polking in favor of Masatada Ishii.
The Japanese coach’s debut as a manager went about as terribly as he could have anticipated. The War Elephants collapsed in the second half, giving up five goals in the last forty-five minutes and losing 5-0. In their last five games in all competitions, Thailand has given up 17 goals. However, 13 of those goals came in only two games, one of which was an 8-0 loss to Georgia. Despite defeating Kyrgyzstan 3-1 in their lone friendly match in June 2001, they have never won their initial group match in this competition. Thanks to a 3-1 victory over the Philippines in their last group match, Kyrgyzstan created a strong first impression at the 2019 Asian Cup, making it into the last 16 in their maiden appearance.
They will probably be under more pressure to get a success on Tuesday because they are playing one of the tournament favorites on matchday two in Saudi Arabia. They may finish in second place alongside Thailand and Oman. Early in their World Cup qualifying campaign, Kyrgyzstan is just a goal differential away from a third-round spot. They trail Oman by one goal. They lost their first qualifying match against Malaysia (4-3) and then defeated Oman 1-0.
Team News
The only player from Thailand selected for this match who hasn’t played for his country is Saranon Anuin. Meanwhile, Santiago Phangom earned his second cap for his country during the loss to Japan, coming on as Jaroensak Wonggorn’s replacement in the second half. While Sarach Yooyen achieved 75 in their last match, Theerathon Bunmathan earned his 90th cap in that loss, giving him a chance to pass Niweat Siriwong for eighth place all-time. Additionally, Pathompl Charoenrattanapirom made his 20th appearance. In their first third-round qualifying match against the Maldives, goals by Yooyen, Tearasil Dangda, and Pansa Hemviboon were sufficient to secure second place, with Siwarak Tedsungnoen keeping a clean sheet.
On Tuesday, Sultan Chomoev, Amantur Shamurzaev, and Eldiyar Zarypbekov, three members of this Kyrgyzstan team, will attempt to get their first caps for their country. With an all-time national team record of 65 caps, captain Kayrat Zhyrgalbek Uulu is their most experienced player chosen for this tournament. Pavel Kozubaev is sixth on that list, two spots shy of 50, while Valeri Kichin has 41 caps. The first international goal by Ayzar Akmatov served as the winner versus Vietnam last week, while Joel Kojo notched his second for the White Falcons.
Thailand 0-2 Kyrgyzstan
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