Thailand coach Miyo Okamoto was left ruing missed opportunities after the Chaba Kaew suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Philippines in their opening 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup Group B game in Mumbai, India, on Friday night.
Forward Chandler McDaniel provided the much needed goal in the 81st minute, with the ball slipping out of the hands of Thailand goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing.
Okamoto said her team were not clinical enough as they lost for the first time to the Philippines, with the Thais ranked 38th in the world while their regional rivals are spotted at a distant 64.
"We expected to create plenty of chances against the Philippines," said Okamoto. "The end goal is to make it through to the next round and we always try to prepare every player to be match ready.
"However, in today's game, we made plenty of errors, especially in the final third. Of course everyone on the team has to try to fix what happened here so that we can do better in the next match."
"We couldn't find the right pace in the match and that cost us the game. But we have to improve in the next game. We need to be more creative and convert our chances."
Philippines head coach Alen Stajcic said his players deserved their win over Thailand.
"A lot of things went right on the field, I thought our defensive effort was exceptional," said a delighted Stajcic. "I generally believe we were the better team and deserved the win."
Beetles held
Former champions Chiang Rai United caught fire late to claim a 3-1 victory at PT Prachuap in their Thai League 1 battle on Saturday night.
The match seemed heading for a draw after Apichart Denman cancelled an early strike by the Beetles' Getterson in the 68th minute before Akarawin Sawasdee delivered a brace for the visitors in the dying moments.
Also, visiting Police Tero conceded a late goal to let 10-man Samut Prakan City steal a point following a 1-1 draw.
