Laos coach impressed with Vietnam's tactics; Thailand struggles against world's 200th ranked team

Laos coach impressed by Vietnam team's tactics

After the match at Go Dau Stadium (Binh Duong), coach Ha Hyeok-jun of the Laos team shared: "First of all, I would like to congratulate the victory of the Vietnamese team. I know that Vietnam is a strong team and I am impressed with the way you deployed your tactics," coach Ha Hyeok-jun opened the press conference.

"The average age of the Laos team ranges from 21 to 22 years old. This is not necessarily a preparation for the future, but simply because I always prioritize the players in the best form, even if they are very young. You also saw that at the ASEAN Cup 2024, when we were one of the teams with the youngest squad in the tournament," said the Korean coach.

Indonesia wins important match in World Cup qualifiers

On the night of March 25, Indonesia defeated Bahrain 1-0 at home in the 8th match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

At home, Indonesia took the initiative against Bahrain. Coach Patrick Kluivert's team only needed a second chance to score the opening goal.

Bahrain's weak attacking efforts failed to bring them an equalizer, with the visitors only managing two shots off target from Ali Madan and Al Romaihi.

The match at Bung Karno Stadium ended with a minimal victory for coach Patrick Kluivert and his team. The Southeast Asian representative defeated their direct competitor to maintain 4th place, equivalent to a ticket to the play-off round. Indonesia still has a slim chance of directly qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, as they are 4 points behind the 2nd-placed team, Australia.

Thailand struggled against the world's 200th ranked team

On the evening of March 25, the Thai team had to struggle to win a narrow 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the first match of Group D of the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

It was not until the 42nd minute that the opening goal appeared for the home team. From a free kick that caused chaos in the penalty area, the Sri Lankan goalkeeper handled the ball clumsily, punching the ball in indecisively, allowing striker Patrik Gustavsson to quickly rush in to score the only goal of the match.

This was a turning point, helping Thailand to breathe a sigh of relief as they took the lead. Despite having more possession of the ball, being rated higher and having home advantage, the "War Elephants" could not create an overwhelming momentum against Sri Lanka. The visitors even made things difficult for Thailand several times.

Despite fielding the strongest possible lineup with stars like Supachok, Suphanat or Chanathip, Thailand was unable to find a second goal. Even if it weren't for Gustavsson's lucky goal at the end of the first half, the home team would not have been able to win all three points.

With 3 valuable points from this match, Thailand has had a smooth start in their journey to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals. However, the unconvincing performance at home and Sri Lanka's progress will certainly give the "War Elephants" a headache in the upcoming matches.

Earthquake in 2026 World Cup qualifiers

On the night of March 25, Kyrgyzstan, the team ranked 107th in FIFA, defeated Qatar 3-1 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia..

In the 8th match of Group A, Qatar had to win at home against Kyrgyzstan to keep their hopes of competing for a ticket to North America alive. However, the 2022 World Cup host disappointed with a deadlocked performance and let the underdogs score 3 goals.

The 48th-ranked team in the world had a terrible day when they could not impose their control on the host Kyrgyzstan, even creating fewer chances than the host (9 compared to 14). On the other hand, Kyrgyzstan showed an impressive ability to take advantage of opportunities.

Kyrgyzstan beat Qatar for the first time in history, and at the same time, kept a slim hope of getting into the play-off group. On the other hand, Qatar almost lost hope of getting a ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals, when it was 6 points behind Uzbekistan.