Former Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac led Thailand to defend the Kings Cup after beating Belarus on penalty shootouts.
The final at Rajamangala National Stadium ended in a goalless draw in 90 minutes, and the Thais kept their cool to edge Belarus 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out to retain the King’s Cup.
The Serb took over as coach of the Asian side in May and has been tasked with qualifying the country to the World Cup.
A happy Milovan Rajevac said after the game, “We have won the trophy and it is good to see so many smiling faces around.”
“We only had a day’s rest in between the matches and the players were tired after their 3-0 win over the North Koreans in the first match [on Friday].
“The most pleasing thing about this tournament is that we did not concede a goal in open play in our two games. I believe is a new thing for Thai football.
“Now that our defence is strong enough, I will focus on improving the team’s offence.
“Belarus played well today but it was a close contest. We had a bit of luck in winning the match in the penalty shoot-out.
“We knew a penalty shoot-out was a big possibility, so we had practised spot kicks before the match.”
Milovan Rajevac since leaving Ghana has coached in Algeria and the United Arab Emirates.