"Anthonie Hasun" gave an interview after the second match of the 2026 ASEAN Cup semi-final round.
Anthonie Hasun, head coach of the Thai national football team, gave an interview after the second match of the 2026 ASEAN Cup semi-final round.
In that game, the Thai national team lost to Singapore 1-2, but the final score was 4-3, and they advanced to the final.
"First of all, I'm proud that the players were able to take the team to the final, achieving the goal. This team has a mix of young and senior players, and I'm proud of everyone. However, the result was disappointing. I think we could have done better, especially with the golden opportunity to equalize many times." Hasun said.
"For the final match, we have 3 days left. We have more time than the other team in the final. We will try to watch the team's performance today and try to correct the mistakes. There are some issues with the overall game that are off the mark in the first half, where the players were tired and had to substitute quite a few players due to cramps. But we have enough time for the final match. We have to admit that Singapore is strong. They faced Vietnam and Indonesia, and they created problems. Playing against them twice is a tough game. I'm not worried about preparing the team after this."
The style of play is always questioned, and the content in the game is not elaborated. However, the two games we have faced must be played within 3 days, not including travel time. There are new players who need to face teams that perform well in the group stage. The physical condition of each player cannot match the planned playing style. If the results do not go as planned, there will always be questions. This is the expectation of every fan. When we win a certain score, but in the end, we make it to the final. We have to play every 3 days during the pre-season, which is the pre-season period when we need to prepare our bodies. But we have to play continuously, so it's very difficult to create the football we want. I understand that setting expectations is normal. In the camp, people say that this team is heavily criticized. The players in the team probably won't go far, but we still make it to the final. I'm proud of every player, and we make it to the semifinals. I'm also proud that the seniors help us reach the final. Preparing the team every 2-3 days is also very proud.
The most important thing in the final round of the game is that we have more time than one opponent per day to prepare the team before the final round, which is a big difference. Many people may not understand the context that this competition is in the preseason and will face a strong opponent. On the first day when the athletes arrive, some have only been training with the club for a few days. Now, the athletes need to recover their bodies to play the first game of the final round to the fullest, which is what we want to do, and we need to prepare the plan. This game is an example of fatigue. The most important thing now is the preseason. Even if the athletes are not in good physical condition, we can still achieve our goals. There may be questions, but we can make it to the final round.
The tactics prepared to face both matches against Singapore are not different in the same way. The difference is that the development of the athletes and the Singaporean national team has been good. They have been good since the Asian Cup, where they made it to the final. The two matches we have to face, including Singapore, have also had good performances in the group stage. I think Singapore has now changed. We must give credit to Kevin Lee for his great performance and for having fans coming to cheer and support. I believe Singapore is now on a good path and will become even stronger in the future.
The next match for the Thai national team will be the 2026 ASEAN Cup final, the first match against the winner between Vietnam or Malaysia at the King Mongkut Sports Stadium on August 22, 2026, at 20:00.