Thailand coach Anthony Hudson believes his team has room to improve despite registering a 3-1 first-leg win over Singapore in their Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 semi-final at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday that puts the War Elephants on the cusp of another final.
Hudson’s side punished Singapore’s defensive lapses to take a two-goal lead through Teerasak Poeiphimai’s double inside the opening 26 minutes before Seksan Ratree scored a third on the counterattack for Thailand six minutes into the second half.
Ilhan Fandi gave the Singaporeans an 84th-minute lifeline with a well-taken strike as the Thais conceded for the first time at the tournament, with the teams set to face off again at Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday.
“We're very clear that it's only half-time and we need to go back to Bangkok and make sure we deliver an even bigger performance than tonight,” said Hudson.
“When you get to semi-finals, semi-finals are about winning. I think this is probably one of the first times really that we weren't able to control the ball and dominate the ball. A lot of our attacks and goals came from counter-attacks, which wasn't really what we were.
“That wasn't the game plan; it's just what the game gave us. And then you score a couple of goals, and I just think, naturally, you want to protect your lead.
“But the objective for us was to come here and win the game and go back to Bangkok and improve what we need to do and put in an even bigger performance.”
Hudson made six changes to his line-up from the team that won their final group phase match with Myanmar, restoring Teerasak and Yotsakon Burapha to the attack in an effort to break down a defence that had held Vietnam scoreless and conceded only once against Indonesia.
The move paid off quickly with Teerasak converting in the 14th and 26th minutes, although the Port FC striker was forced off with an injury two minutes before the end of the first half as Hudson continues to manage his resources.
“I think they're a complicated team to play against, just the way they're set up,” Hudson said of the Singaporeans. “It makes it very difficult to be able to build pressure against a team like this.
“I actually think one of the biggest things tonight is we wanted to control the ball more. That's one of the biggest things I think going into the next game. But sometimes the game plays out the way it does.
“But the objective for us was to come here and win the game so we can go back to Bangkok with an advantage.
“I don't think we really executed what we wanted to do on the ball. If we look at it, Singapore's got two really big results against Indonesia and Vietnam, so we knew it was going to be a difficult place to come.”
