BOCAUE, Philippines – Powerhouse Thailand made a show of force and still went for the victory against AFF Suzuki Cup host Philippines to prove who is the real “No. 1 in Southeast Asia.”
At 117th, the Philippines sits atop the table among Asean sides in the Fifa world rankings, outranking the War Elephants by 12 places.
“We wanted to show Asean how strong we are. We wanted to look at the Fifa ranking and show that we can beat the No. 1 team in Asean,” said Thailand coach Kiatisuk Senamuang.
Even with stars Teerasil Dangda and Chanatuip Songkrasin on the bench, the War Elephants flaunted their firepower as their second unit still proved too much against the Azkals, 1-0, Friday night on the last day of Group A hostilities. Sarawat Masurk fired the dagger that ousted Phl from the semis.
“We rested our players and we showed how deep our team is. I know we have great players in our lineup,” he said.