Plenty of work left, says Kiatisak after first-leg win

Red-hot striker Teerasil Dangda’s sublime brace at the packed Thuwanna Stadium in Yangon put defending champions Thailand firmly on course to reach the final of the biennial tournament for the second time in a row.

Barring a major upset in Thursday’s return leg at Rajamangala National Stadium, the Thais, whose haul of four titles puts them level with Singapore as the tournament’s most successful country, should be able to take a significant step closer to clinching a regional crown for a record-breaking fifth time.

Despite being in pole position to book their place in the home-and-away title showdown with either Vietnam or Indonesia later this month, Kiatisak tried to ensure his men kept their feet on the ground.

“We achieved our target of winning the first leg. We should have claimed the win by a bigger margin but we still have one game left. We need to stay focused on the job,” said the former national striker, who steered the country to title success two years ago.

“Even though we won the first game, we cannot write them off completely. They may have struggled to live up to the expectations of their own fans. Deep down, I’m convinced that we will make it to the final. But, it’s not over yet and we still have job to do.”

The Thai coach said the first-leg victory meant a lot to his team as it came just days after King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne.

“My team and I really wanted this victory because we want to dedicate it to both the late King Rama IX on the occasion of his birthday anniversary [Dec 5] and the new King,” said the 43-year-old, who arrived home with his squad yesterday.

The two goals captain Teerasil scored against Myanmar were his second brace in the tournament after his double in the 4-2 victory over Indonesia in the group opener, which takes his tally to five to top the scoring charts.

Though he is in a rich vein of form with two classy goals, particularly the second, where he left a defender for dead with a nice turn before cleverly stroking the ball past the exposed keeper at the near post, the 28-year-old is still not satisfied with his form.

“I’m glad to score the goals that helped us gain upper hand. Of course, it’s a boost to my confidence, but I’m still not happy with my performance.

“I might have hit the target but I didn’t do well in other aspects. I simply put away the chances that came my way. I am still not in my best form,” said the Muangthong United player, who has never tasted success at the regional championship.