Adisak Kraisorn was not even supposed to be a part of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in February, that looked to have ruled him out for the year.

However, the 27-year-old Muangthong United striker recovered in record time to make himself a part of Milovan Rajevac’s plans for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and he has already made his mark on the tournament in Thailand's first game of the campaign, firing six past Timor-Leste as the War Elephants won their Group B opener 7-0.

In fact, the man nicknamed "Golf" was just one away from equalling the AFF Suzuki Cup record for goals in one match, when Singapore legend Noh Alam Shah netted seven past Laos in an 11-0 thrashing at the 2007 edition.  

"I didn't know about Noh Alam Shah's record," admitted Adisak after the match at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium. "I just did my best to help the team get three points, that was the most important thing for me."

"We now need to start again and focus on the next match. Our target is to become the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 champions, but we need to take one game at a time."

One game at a time is how the man from Buriram has had to take 2018 with the recovery process following knee surgery a long and tough road.

"The past eight months have been tough," said Adisak. "I lost a bit of motivation and sometimes felt like I wanted to quit, but lots of people have been supporting me including my team and fans, so I am grateful for their support.

"I have been under pressure due to playing up front on my own and being expected to score. I have been trying to do my best and I have to thank all my teammates for their support.

"I haven't played a lot in the league over the past two years, so I have to thank the coach for giving me this opportunity."