Nolberto Solano Reflects on Pakistan’s 4-0 Defeat to Thailand.

Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano reflected on his side’s 4-0 defeat to Thailand in their opening match of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, admitting that they came up against a very strong opponent.

Pakistan made a positive start and competed well during the opening stages, but Thailand gradually took control of the match.

“As I said before the tournament, we knew this was going to be very tough. We knew we were going to face a very, very good and physical team,” Solano said after the match.

“We started quite well in the first 25 minutes. But to control the game for the full 90 minutes, we knew that was probably going to be a little bit difficult for us.”

Solano refused to use Pakistan’s limited preparation time as an excuse for the result and instead praised the quality of the opposition.

“I’m not looking for excuses. I’ll just say that Thailand is a very good team,” he said.

The Pakistan coach felt that one of the biggest differences between the two sides was how clinical Thailand were in front of goal.

“The difference today, I think, was that every time Thailand had a chance to attack, they immediately converted it into a goal.”

“We had chances, but we couldn’t take advantage of them.”

Despite the 4-0 scoreline, Solano felt the result did not fully reflect how Pakistan performed during several phases of the match.

“The result looks like 4-0, it looks like we were slaughtered today, but that’s not the case,” he said.

Solano now wants his players to learn from the experience and focus on improving ahead of their next match.

“This is a valuable experience for everyone. We must keep moving forward.”

He also stressed the need for Pakistan to be more solid defensively, with mistakes at this level often being punished immediately.

“We have to be more solid. We can’t give our opponents any chances, because at this level, that would cost us the match,” Solano concluded.