BANGKOK -- On an evening where Malaysia saw their 100% record at the 2026 ASEAN Championship come to an end, opponents Thailand stayed perfect.
After sitting out the last round of fixtures with a bye, Thailand -- the tournament's record seven-time champions -- picked up where they left off from their opening 5-0 win over Laos, with goals from Yotsakorn Burapha and Teerasak Poeiphimai clinching a 2-0 victory over Harimau Malaya in front of 16,037 at Rajamangala Stadium.
The War Elephants took the lead in the 37th minute when Yotsakorn sent Malaysia goalkeeper Azri Ghani the wrong way from the spot, after a penalty had been awarded upon VAR review after a late challenge by Ubaidullah Shamsul on Kakana Khamyok had initially gone unpunished.
Then, four minutes before the hour mark, the hosts scored what proved to be the clincher with a brilliant team goal -- Yotsakorn and Seksan Ratree linking up well to carve apart the opposition defence as Teerasak found himself completely unattended inside the box to finish with aplomb.
Malaysia rallied late on and might even have forced a draw even if it would probably have been an unjust result based on the balance of play throughout the 90 minutes.
A speculative effort from captain Paulo Josué in the 78th minute looked headed for the bottom corner until Thailand custodian Kampol Pathomakkakul pushed it around the post with a smart save down low.
Three minutes from time, Kampol was again equal whatever task came his way, spectacularly parrying another threat from distance -- this time by Daryl Sham -- to preserve his team's two-goal victory.
While far from the most scintillating of Thailand performances, given the match was curiously disjointed and bereft of any prolonged rhythm or flow, the result shows that they are certainly contenders -- even if there have been doubts voiced over whether this perceived makeshift squad -- missing some regular and seasoned campaigners -- can emulate the star-studded title-winning squads from years gone by.
Yet, given how the Thais have largely relied on the same big guns over the past decade, perhaps now is the right time for the next generation to step up. And, as always seems to be the case, there seems to be a wave of new talent ready to prove their worth.
Although Teerasak is closing in on 30 caps, he is still only 23 and has long been viewed as having the potential to be the long-term successor to the iconic Teerasil Dangda, while Yotsakorn is 21 with Saturday being only his fourth senior international appearance.
Exciting midfielders Seksan and Kakana -- the latter impressing as a false nine against Malaysia -- are 23 and 22 respectively, and there was also an impressive first start from Moroccan-born left-back Oussama Thiangkham.
In total, 16 of Anthony Hudson's current 25-player squad have below 20 caps to their names and yet it has not stopped them from making a dominant start to the tournament. There will be no shortage of motivation to impress especially with tickets to January's AFC Asian Cup up for grabs.
The true test will come if, and when, Thailand get to the semis and face tougher tests in the form of Vietnam or Indonesia but, for now, the future looks bright.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's hopes of advancing to the last four are hardly over despite Saturday's loss -- although they have now been likely dragged into a three-way battle for Group B's second semifinal berth, if the Thais are indeed to go on and seal top spot.
While they remain level on six points at the top with Thailand, they have now played a game more than Myanmar and Philippines -- who both have three points to their names. Should the next round of fixtures go as expected, it would send things down to the wire when Group B action concludes on Aug. 8 -- and there is a chance four teams could still have progress up for grabs.
The important thing for Malaysia is that their fate remains in their control. They can now take the next few days to enjoy a much-needed rest while they have the bye, as well as finetune whatever needs to be worked out in training.
Then, in six days, they simply need to beat Philippines to guarantee their return to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship -- after missing out in 2024.