Having been defeated 12-0 by Cambodia in their opening match on Saturday, Timor Leste took a highly cautious approach against Thailand but their Southeast Asian counterparts proved too strong.
“It was a good start. But playing against such a defensive team was always going to be tough,” said Thailand head coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian.
“We know that some of the other teams are very well prepared for this tournament, so we are taking it a game at a time.”
An own from Maria Da Concieco in the seventh minute set Thailand on course with Kanjana Sung-Ngoen (16th minute, penalty) and Rattikan Thongsombut (18th) giving them a 3-0 lead going into the break.
Substitute Pitsamai Sornsai blasted in the fourth Thai goal in the 49th minute and went on to score three more (57th, 71st, 80th) while Rattikan Thongsombut (51st) hit one.
Thailand will take on Cambodia on Wednesday while Timor Leste will play Australia, who are represented by their Under-20 squad.
Malaysia bounced back from their first game defeat to beat Cambodia 4-0. The Malaysians lost 7-0 to Australia two days ago.
“The plan was to keep possession as much as we could and not lose the ball unnecessarily,” said Malaysian head coach Jacob Joseph.
“But I am still worried about the defence and also the midfield. They don’t pressure the opponents enough and that is something which we need to work on for the next match.”
An own goal from Cambodia in the fifth minute set the tone for the remainder of the tie as Malaysia grew in confidence.
A seemingly innocuous corner from Norhanisa Wahya was flicked into goal by Cambodia keeper Kory Muoykanha as she attempted to keep the ball away from the onrushing Malaysian strikers.
Cambodia came out stronger after the break but it was to be Malaysia who found the back of the net again in the 58th minute when striker Norsuriani Mazli ran down the right before blasting in from a tight angle.
She then grabbed her second in the 77th minute, heading in a corner from Fedalliah Jalmin.
Two minutes later, Haindee Mosroh completed the scoreline with the fourth goal of the game off a solo effort.
Results
Group A
Timor Leste 0-8 Thailand
Cambodia 0-4 Malaysia
Tuesday
Group B (Local time)
Indonesia vs Vietnam (16:00)
Singapore vs Philippines (19:00)
Sources: aseanfootball.org, Football Association of Indonesia
Source: the-afc.com