Malaysia-killer Adisak makes his case for starting place

Three-time champions Thailand made sure of their place in semi-finals of the biennial tournament with an enthralling 3-2 victory over 2010 winners Malaysia in a rain-delayed Group B fixture on Wednesday.

But the Thais did it the hard way at the 8,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium, stepping onto the pitch two and a half hours later than scheduled due to heavy rain then twice finding themselves behind on the score sheet. Each time the Thai players showed admirable character to haul themselves back into the game, before substitute forward Adisak Kraisorn grabbed the second of his two goals with a last-minute winner to complete the remarkable turnaround.

The result cemented Thailand’s top spot in the group with a maximum six points and assured their place in the last four with one game to spare. Titleholders and four-time champions Singapore are in second place with three points following a 4-2 victory over bottom side Myanmar, who are tied with placed Malaysia on a single point. 

A draw against Myanmar in their final group match tomorrow would ensure the Thais qualify as group winners to face a likelier easier task in the last four.

Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang, though, has his sights firmly fixed on finishing the group stage perfect with a professional display. 

“For the last game against Myanmar, we’ll definitely play to the maximum because we want to instil professionalism in every player. People might think that we will take our foot off the gas after clinching qualification but I can confirm that we will be fully concentrated on the game, said the 41-year-old former national player.

“The target is to claim a maximum nine points from our three group games, though it wouldn’t be a major setback should we fail to claim three points on Saturday. 

“The most important thing against Myanmar is to avoid any injury, so we might rotate the squad in certain positions. Currently we have no injury problems after Mongkol Thosakrai and Perapat Notechaiya both recovered from knocks. So we now have all 22 players ready to play,” said Kiatisak, in charge of the team in his first tournament since being officially appointed as national coach last month. 

After his two-goal display to power the Thai fight-back against Malaysia, 23-year-old Adisak, who recently joined BEC Tero Sasana after helping Buriram United win their third Thai Premier League title last season, is pressing his case for a starting place.

“No doubt, those two goals boosted my confidence. But my main aim is to help the team win the title rather than being the top scorer. Everybody needs to work hard. For my part, I’m ready whenever the coach wants me to play, either from the start or off the bench.”