National coach focuses on tough Iraq match after Taiwan victory
National football team coach Kiatisak Senamuang quickly turned his thoughts to the September qualifier against 2011 Asian champions Iraq after Thailand maintained their winning start to World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory in Taiwan on Tuesday
Kiatisak and his team arrived from Taipei yesterday after a brace from Muangthong United striker Teerasil Dangda helped the Thai side stay on top in Group F with maximum six points from two matches.
The Taiwan win kept Thai fans in party mood as it came just a day after the under23 side clinched their record-extending 15th SEA Games title with a convincing 3-0 victory over Myanmar in Singapore.
Kiatisak wasted no time to celebrate the promising start his side made in an attempt to reach the sport’s showpiece event for the first time in 2018 in Russia by looking ahead to the encounter at home against group favourites Iraq.
“I would like to thank the fans for supporting us, both the senior and the SEA Games teams. We have achieved our target the senior side scored two wins while the SEA Games won the title.
“From now on, we have to do our homework to figure out the way to beat Iraq. We had talks with the Thai FA board about the team’s preparations and finding an opponent for a warmup game.
“We saw that even the continent’s leading sides like Japan had a draw with Singapore. Iran also got a draw. So, if we have plan and prepare the team well, we should also be able to beat Iraq,” said Kiatisak.
The Thai coach also lauded forward Teerasil, who scored his first international goal after a lapse of more than a year to help his team, which beat Vietnam 1-0 at home last month, record successive wins.
“I told him before the game that it’s time to show his scoring skills now. He is aware of the expectations from the fans. Sometimes, that may lead to pressure. At the end of the day, I believed in him. Scoring goals has taken a load of pressure of his shoulders,” said Kiatisak.
