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Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Sport

Polking says Thais good enough to meet top Asians

Thailand's Nicholas Mickelson, left, and the UAE's Harib Suhail Abdalla.

National coach Mano Polking believes Thailand are good enough to play against top Asian sides after two defeats in as many warm-up games during the international break.

The War Elephants lost 2-0 to the UAE in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Harib Suhail Abdalla in the 55th minute and Abdusalam Mohammed in the 79th minute.

They lost 3-1 to Syria in Dubai last week.

Polking said his men proved they can play against top Asian teams as long as they can stay focused for the entire match.

"We are not happy with the results but they were just warm-up games," Polking said.

"We wanted to see if we could play against teams at this level, and after the games, I believe we can.

"I'd like to tell Thai football fans to have faith in the national team. I believe we will do well at the Asian Cup."

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar has been postponed to Jan 10-Feb 10, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Thai U23 team finished fourth in the Doha Cup in Qatar on Tuesday night after losing 1-0 to Kuwait.

Ibrahim Kameel's headed goal in the first half finished off the Thais.

Thailand had a creditable run in the tournament with a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia and a 1-0 win over hosts Qatar in their other two games.

Thailand coach Issara Sritaro said he was disappointed by the loss and that he and his players will keep working hard.

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