Asia's third weakest team wins shockingly, paving the way for Thailand to participate in the 2027 Asian Cup finals

Chanathip scored 1 goal to help Thailand win the match

Before entering the final round of the first round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Thailand only had 3 points after 1 win and 1 loss. The 1-3 defeat to direct rival Turkmenistan put the team from the Golden Temple at a disadvantage. They had to win all remaining matches and beat Turkmenistan by more than 2 goals to be able to continue.

However, in the early match between Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan, a big surprise happened. Sri Lanka has 8 naturalized players from England, Germany or Spain, but most of them are players playing in lower leagues. Therefore, in recent times, these mercenaries have not helped Sri Lanka change their performance significantly. They are still ranked 197th in the world , ranked 3rd from the bottom of the Asian rankings.

However, with the home advantage, Sri Lanka played a match of their lives. They defended firmly, pressing close, making Turkmenistan's attacks seem to hit the wall. In a deadlocked match, it seemed like the two sides would share the points with an uneven score, but in the 70th minute, Turkmenistan gifted their opponents a goal. From a kick outside the box, the Central Asian team's goalkeeper let the ball slip through his armpit, bringing the only goal of the match.

Sri Lanka's surprise win gave Thailand confidence to face Chinese Taipei, a team that has lost 11 of its last 13 matches. Thailand were deadlocked in the first half before breaking the deadlock with a header in the 53rd minute. In the 78th minute, Chanathip scored from close range to seal a 2-0 victory for the home team.

Thus, Group D of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers is taking place in a scenario where Thailand, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan all have 6 points. Thailand has equalized the score with Turkmenistan. And if they only win against this opponent in the second leg (no need to win by 2 goals), they can get a ticket to continue.