Hudson Pleased With Thailand's 10-Game Unbeaten Run

Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thai national team, expressed satisfaction with guiding the squad through 10 consecutive matches without defeat and called for fans to give the players greater recognition.

At a press conference on August 17 at Rajamangala Stadium, the Asian Football Confederation held a briefing ahead of the second leg of the 2026 AFF Cup semi-final. Thailand will face Singapore on August 18 at Rajamangala Stadium at 20:00.

Hudson said: "Facing Singapore is a difficult match. They are a top-tier team with complex tactics. They perform well, have a good head coach, and play well given their form in the first leg. I am very proud of my players' commitment, but we will try to do better in every phase of the game. Today's training must develop and improve. We need focus now, and I think this match is still 0-0, and it is like a final—another game against a difficult opponent."

Regarding post-match events after the first leg with Singapore, Hudson acknowledged the emotional nature of football. "It was an emotional game, which is normal in football. I myself am someone with lingering passion, but I want to confirm that I respect Singapore, Gavin Lee, and their coaching staff and players who did an outstanding job. After the game ended, I went to discuss with Gavin Lee some situations during the match that made myself and my staff unhappy. For example, before the penalty incident, a player held the ball too long—14-15 seconds—when the rules clearly state the ball should be released. I asked Gavin Lee why Singapore, being such a good and strong team, would do that when they already had the quality to deal with Thailand. Although emotions lingered and others were involved, the incident is over. I still respect Gavin Lee and all Singapore's footballers. When I woke up the next morning and saw my social media feed, I felt embarrassed too, and I called my mother for some encouragement. But the first thing my mother asked was why I did that. I felt ashamed as well."

"I want myself and all players to think this match is still 0-0, which I will tell all players, because I don't want them to overlook things and think this game is easy. I want everyone to play as if the score is still 0-0 with the same intensity as the first match, so everyone wants to secure victory. Regarding team changes, I think I am lucky to have every player working hard from day one, and that gives me great confidence. Whether we change or not, I think we have the advantage that every player in the team has quality. We will look at freshness, and even with changes, I think our form will not drop even one percent."

"Regarding criticism directed at me throughout my work with Thailand, which remains undefeated in 10 matches, honestly it doesn't affect me much. But there is something that disappoints me and saddens me for the players. In every camp, I believe they deserve credit and should be mentioned and praised more positively because everyone works very hard and deserves recognition. My playing style over the past two to three camps saw different player groups, and this is another new group. Based on statistics, I feel we have done remarkably well and impressively to reach the semi-final. Our first game with Singapore showed we could not perform well enough—our calmness in possession and aggression in play are my responsibility to improve. This camp has six or seven new forwards, some under pressure, but once they get through, everyone should be relieved."

"Finally, facing Singapore: I must acknowledge that Singapore right now is strong and has developed significantly, and they have massive fan support backing them."