Coach Anthony Hudson revealed an embarrassing moment after Thailand's national team won 3-1 away against Singapore in the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Cup semifinals.
On 17 August 2026 at 14:00, at the press conference room of Rajamangala National Stadium, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) held a press conference ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Cup semifinals second leg between Thailand, ranked 94th in the world, and Singapore, ranked 148th. In the first leg on Saturday, 15 August, Thailand won 3-1 away.
The press conference was led by head coach Anthony Hudson, accompanied by the team's forward, Patrick Gustafsson.
At the event, Hudson said, "Facing Singapore is a tough game. They are a top-level team with complex tactics. They performed well, have a good head coach, and played strongly."
"Regarding our performance in the first leg, I am very proud of my players' dedication, but we will strive to do better at every moment in the game. Today's training must focus on improvement. We need concentration and to treat this match as if the score is still 0-0. This game is like a final against a difficult opponent."
"About the incidents after the first leg in Singapore, it was a game full of emotions, which is normal in football. I am a passionate person, but I want to affirm my respect for Singapore, head coach Gavin Lee, and their players who worked excellently."
"After the game, I spoke about situations during the match that caused dissatisfaction for me and my staff. For example, before conceding a penalty, a player held the ball for a throw-in for 14-15 seconds, even though the rules are clear."
"After the match, I spoke with Gavin Lee, saying Singapore is a good and strong team, so why behave like that when they have the quality to handle Thailand? Due to lingering emotions, others were involved, but the incident is over. I still respect Gavin Lee and all Singaporean footballers."
"The next morning, I saw it all over the feed and felt embarrassed. I FaceTimed my mother waiting to hear congratulations, but the first thing she said was to ask why I acted that way. I also felt shy about it."
"I want my players to think of the score as still 0-0, and I will remind them not to underestimate the match or think it's easy. I want everyone to play with the same intensity as the first game, to keep the desire to win this match."
"Regarding team changes, I feel lucky to have players who have worked hard from day one, giving me great confidence. Whether we make changes or not, we have the advantage of quality players. We consider freshness, and even with changes, I believe our performance will not drop even by a percent."
Tuesday, 18 August 2026
20:00 Thailand vs Singapore (Rajamangala National Stadium)
Live broadcast on: TrueVisions Now application
Tickets are now available at >>https://ticketmaster.co.th/activity/detail/26th_aseancup2026
Live broadcast on: TrueVisions Now application
