Thailand remained perfect in Group B after a late Waris Choolthong header secured a 1-0 win over the Philippines, while Myanmar thrashed Laos 7-2 to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
PHILIPPINES: Thailand moved to the brink of the Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 semi-finals after Waris Choolthong’s late header earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Philippines, while Myanmar boosted their qualification hopes with a commanding 7-2 win over Laos on Tuesday.
The record seven-time ASEAN champions maintained their perfect record in Group B with nine points from three matches after Waris headed home Picha Autra’s cross in the 84th minute to finally break the deadlock at New Clark City.
The victory leaves Anthony Hudson’s side needing only a draw against Myanmar in their final group match on Saturday to secure a place in the last four. Malaysia, meanwhile, will host the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals.
“The coach wanted us to stick together and play together as a team,” said match-winner Waris. “We’re happy with the result and, even though we rotated the team, we still managed to get the result we wanted. We hope we can play better and better.”
Hudson made eight changes to the side that defeated Malaysia 2-0 in their previous outing, while the Philippines made two alterations, including goalkeeper Patrick Deyto replacing Quincy Kammeraad.
Clear-cut chances were limited for much of the contest before Picha found space on the left in the closing stages and delivered a pinpoint cross for Waris, whose powerful header beat Deyto and nestled into the bottom corner.
In Yangon, Myanmar reignited their semi-final hopes with an emphatic 7-2 victory over Laos in a nine-goal thriller.
The hosts made a dream start as Lwin Moe Aung opened the scoring after just 75 seconds, the fastest goal of this year’s tournament. Laos responded through Bounchay Chernvanglien in the 17th minute before Win Naing Tun restored Myanmar’s lead three minutes later.
Laos equalised again through Phoutthavong Sangvilay, but Myanmar took control before the break. Win Naing Tun grabbed his second from close range in the 41st minute before captain Maung Maung Lwin converted a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time to give the hosts a 4-2 advantage.
Than Paing added a fifth seven minutes after the restart before both teams were reduced to 10 men following the dismissals of Maung Maung Lwin and Sayfon Keohanam after an off-the-ball altercation.
Hein Htet Aung made it 6-2 with a simple finish in the 81st minute before Win Naing Tun completed his hat-trick two minutes later, becoming the third player to score a treble in this year’s tournament.
