BANGKOK: Patrik Gustavsson wants his Thailand teammates to fight fire with fire when they face Vietnam in the Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 final as the striker looks to continue his recovery from serious injury by claiming the country’s record-extending eighth success in the competition.
The Thais will host Kim Sang-sik’s defending champions at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday in the first leg of the title decider, before both teams travel to Hanoi for the return leg on Wednesday, in the third consecutive final meeting between the nations in the regional championship, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Thailand emerged victorious in 2022 while the Vietnamese claimed the crown in 2024, and Gustavsson wants to use the experience of that defeat to motivate his teammates to turn the tables on the Golden Star Warriors.
“It taught me a lot, the experience,” he says of the 2024 decider, when Thailand lost 5-3 on aggregate after a 2-1 first-leg loss was followed by a 3-2 defeat in the return leg.
“We can learn from the mistakes we had from the last tournament and use it here. The team that makes the least mistakes in this tournament is the team that actually goes far.
“I’ve played against Vietnam twice now, in the final, and lost both times. We need to go into the duels and fight, because they know how to play against us, and we need to play their game back at them.”
Thailand have established themselves as the dominant force since the competition was created in 1996, winning the title on seven occasions while finishing runners-up a further four times to mark the country out as the most successful by a margin.
That record, however, has brought elevated expectations, with Thai fans unwilling to accept anything other than victory when their team lines up against any of their regional rivals, no matter the circumstances.
“I know, it's a lot of pressure,” Gustavsson says of the constant scrutiny. “I don't think anything of it, but because we grew up to play football, and I grew up to want to play final games.
“It's my dream to play a final and win trophies, so I have expectations from myself, from within. You need to take out all the negativity, and just think that if we win the trophy, we make a lot of people proud. So, that's our goal, and that's why we play football at first.”
The 25-year-old Sweden-born forward is making his second appearance in the competition, having debuted under former coach Masatada Ishii in September 2024. He made an immediate impact, scoring eight times in his first 11 appearances for Thailand.
Injury has limited his involvement in the intervening two years, however, with a torn cruciate ligament sustained in league action in March 2025 and his subsequent recovery leaving Gustavsson absent until the knock-out rounds of the tournament.
“I felt really fit, and the style and how we trained there suited the style we had with Ishii at that time, and I felt that Ishii gave me a lot of confidence on the pitch,” Gustavsson said of his early days with the squad.
“Even if you do mistakes, I didn't think anything of it. I felt that he had my back, and that's how you want to feel as a football player. You want to play with confidence, and everything just clicked.
“It's nice to score a goal and help the team, and hopefully I can get that feeling back, keep performing, and rebuild step by step. But everything, in the end, comes to confidence. When I'm determined on the pitch, I'm not scared of anything.
“You just want to play and come into a flow. That's football.”
Born in the town of Oxelösund on Sweden’s southeastern coast, Gustavsson credits his father for his involvement in the sport, which saw him begin with his local club before going to join the academy at Åtvidabergs, eventually progressing to the first team in 2018.
In 2021, he moved to IF Sylvia, where he was scouted by Thai League 1 side BG Pathum United FC, who he joined in 2022 to begin the next phase of his career.
“I was always with my dad when I was little, and he loved to watch football on TV, or even watch the local football games,” he says. “So I always followed him, and I played since I could walk.
“He taught me to play with left and right, and I just grew into football, and football became my thing. So he's the big reason why I love this sport, and hopefully I can teach my kids and become the same inspiration as my dad was.
“BG was a big team from what I saw. All the club facilities, how they perform in the AFC Champions League, everything. It was really nice, so I took the chance and signed with BG when I came to Thailand. It's not been an easy journey, being here.”
Gustavsson has had to wrestle with the challenges of a new way of life, even though he had been exposed to the Thai language and culture through his mother.
“I also grew up in Thai culture, but it's still hard, because everything I know I learned from Sweden, so it was quite tough coming here alone, but I don't regret the decision,” he says.
“And in BG, later, I got a chance to play in Japan (on loan at Nara FC). That's where I think I got the first chance to play in a national team, because Ishii was in Japan, he saw me play some games, and we talked a lot, so I always wanted to play for Thailand; there was no doubt about it.”
Gustavsson is continuing to acclimatise four years after moving from Sweden, having improved his Thai language skills, but he is still struggling with the climactic conditions. The style of football has also presented challenges.
“It's hard, I still haven't adapted to the heat,” he says. “If people remember me in the beginning, I didn't speak a lot of Thai. I understood everything, but it takes time. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but right now, I love it here.
“The biggest difference, I think, is just tactically. The game is really quick in Thailand. It can go quickly sometimes, because of the heat. At the end of the game, it goes to a counter-attack game. It's unpredictable, so it's hard.
“Playing 90 minutes in Europe, even if you run as much, you don't sweat, so it's not as hard. But in Thailand, after 60 minutes, you start to feel dizzy; it's really hard. It's like playing in a sauna.”
FINAL FIXTURES
Saturday, August 22, Final, Leg 1
Thailand (THA) v Vietnam (VIE), Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, 8pm (local time) / 1pm (GMT)
Wednesday, August 26, Final, Leg 2
Vietnam (VIE) v Thailand (THA), Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, 8pm (local time) / 1pm (GMT)
