Reigning champions Thailand have sent a strong message to the rest of the competition with a 5-1 win against the Young Socceroos at the AFF U19 Championships.
Both teams entered the match as the only remaining undefeated teams in Group B, with the result sending Thailand to the top of the group on 12 points.
Australia started on the front foot with Sydney FC youngster George Blackwood opening the scoring inside on 13 minutes.
But from there it was all Thailand, who were led by Supachai Chaided who grabbed himself a hat-trick.
“It’s obviously a disappointing result for our team but more importantly we are here to prepare for the AFC Championships and we are learning more about our players with each match we play,” Young Socceroos manager Ufuk Talay said following the match.
“We still have one more group match against Laos in a couple of days then hopefully a semi and a final to continue to try and improve as a group.”
Australia now head into their final group game against Laos, sitting in second place needing only a draw to qualify for the semi-finals.
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