01-07-2025
Thais romp as Wirunya fires 3 goals
Thailand continued their bid to qualify for the AFC Women's Asian Cup finals with a 7-0 demolition of Iraq in their second Group B qualifying tie at Chiang Mai's 700th Anniversary Stadium on Sunday night.
The win took Thailand to six points, level with India, who lead on goal difference, and the hosts will aim for a third win when they face Mongolia on Wednesday while Iraq play India.
The Chaba Kaew put on a better show than the first match and in the 13th minute, Pichayatida Manowang set Wirunya Kwenkasikum free to score the opener.
Pichayatida then doubled Thailand's lead in the 36th minute with a cool finish into the top left corner before Panittha Jeeratanapavibul struck from distance in the first-half stoppage time.
Thailand got their fourth goal from Karnajanathat Phomsri, who struck in the 58th minute from a counter-attacking move, before she netted again with a 65th-minute penalty.
Wirunya increased her personal tally in the 77th minute for a 6-0 lead, before completing her hat-trick with a fine header to cap an impressive outing for Thailand in the dying moments of the match.
Thailand head coach Futoshi Ikeda praised his players' composure after his team's victory in their second match of the qualifiers for Australia 2026.
"After the first match, we had only two days to recover and prepare again. We focused on helping the players recover physically and get ready for the match," said Ikeda. "Everyone performed well. There were quite a few changes, but we stuck to our playing style."
