"We prepared a lot for this tournament, and we are here with the ambition of reclaiming the title we won a decade ago,” said Hilal. “To that end, starting our journey with three points is fantastic as the boys executed the plan effectively."

The 2023 semi-finalists took part in an extensive preparatory camp ahead of the competition, and Hilal is hopeful that his charges will continue to keep their performance up in their next game against Malaysia.

“We have prepared very well for this tournament, and the team has good potential with an ideal balance of talented youngsters and senior, more experienced players,” explained the 50-year-old.

“We respect all the teams, but we have faith in our own squad. We have entered the competition with our eyes on the main prize, and we are doing everything we can to recreate the memories from 2015.”

Vietnam’s Mai Van Duc will have his hands full as his side gears up to take on inaugural champions Bahrain, who narrowly edged Malaysia 4-3 on Friday.

“I think we tried our very best. We were facing a former champion, which is always a difficult task in an opening game, and I also feel we were a little out of luck,” said head coach Van Duc.

“The next game is very important, and we have to ensure there is no lapse in judgment or concentration. There is room for improvement, both tactically and technically, which we will try to address, and hopefully, things will go our way.”

Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

Kick-off: Sunday, 17:00 (UTC+7)

Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

Kick-off: Sunday, 20:30 (UTC+7)