Patrik Scores Twice as Thailand Crush Afghanistan

Thailand geared up for their upcoming 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Sri Lanka with a 2-0 win over Afghanistan on Friday night.

Striker Patrik Gustavsson broke the deadlock with quick-fire goals either side of halftime at Rajamangala National Stadium.

Ishii, who applauded Patrik’s performance, said all of them in the squad worked hard.

“We had very little time to prepare for this warm-up and I am pleased to get the result,” the Japanese tactician said.

“There are players who have not appeared in the national team or the squad, and they are the future of the Thai national team.

“We picked only those players that have done well with their club in domestic competitions and tonight we got a good display by the team.

“The problem we have at the moment is we need a natural left wing back. Finding young gifted players for the position isn’t easy but Nicholas Mickelson did great for us in the role in the second half.

“Our own scoring has to improve as well. We had a lot of chances tonight and couldn’t put it away.

“Our defence was also not up to the mark in first half.”

Nualphan Lamsam, president of the Football Association of Thailand, also had her birthday on Friday, and Ishii said the War Elephants’ victory was a present to her.

The Thais will meet Sri Lanka at the same venue Tuesday in a qualifying match for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals, to be held in Saudi Arabia.

They are in group D with Turkmenistan, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. Twenty-four teams are competing for six spots in Saudi Arabia 2027.

Thai Rath TV (32) and BG Sports YouTube would broadcast the match live.