Anh Duc shines, Vietnam national team wins AFF Cup 2018 championship

Entering this match, Coach Park Hang-seo made 2 changes to the starting lineup compared to the first leg of the final. The duo Hung Dung - Anh Duc entered the field from the beginning, playing in place of Duc Huy and Duc Chinh. As expected, right after the opening whistle, the away team players pushed their formation up to the Vietnamese team's field.

Anh Duc kicked the ball to defeat the opponent in the 6th minute. Photo: Trung Kien

In a game that was quite balanced, the home team unexpectedly scored a goal to break the deadlock. In the 6th minute, Anh Duc had a beautiful left-footed volley that hit the Malaysian net, after an accurate pass from Quang Hai. Conceding an early goal did not dampen the spirit of the away team.

Since conceding the goal, the Malaysian team continued to put pressure on goalkeeper Van Lam. In the 11th minute, midfielder Sumareh had a delicate backheel shot right in the penalty area of ​​the Vietnamese team, fortunately the ball missed the post by a hair. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the red team players actively played solidly in their home field and made quick counter-attacks.

In the following minutes, the two teams had many situations of exchanging shots on each other's goal. In the last minute of the first half, the Malaysian team almost scored an equalizer. However, goalkeeper Van Lam made an excellent save to block a dangerous long-range shot from a player on the opposing team. At the end of the first 45 minutes, the two teams went into the break with a 1-0 victory in favor of the Vietnamese team. This result accurately reflected the events on the field in the first half.

Celebration of Vietnam team players. Photo: Trung Kien

Returning after the break, the Malaysian team remained loyal to their wing attacks. In the 50th minute, from a corner kick by a teammate, naturalized player Sumareh headed the ball straight into Van Lam's chosen position. And just 1 minute later, Sumareh made a strong acceleration, forcing Van Hau to make an illegal save right at the 16m50 line, similar to the foul committed by this player in the first leg of the final. Fortunately, Rasid's free kick was not too dangerous and was successfully blocked by goalkeeper Van Lam.

Towards the end of the match, the Malaysian players showed more and more impatience and frustration. The visitors' attacks could not penetrate the well-organized and alert defense of the home team. On the offensive line, Quang Hai, Van Duc and Anh Duc also put necessary pressure on the Malaysian defense.

Van Lam had an excellent match. Photo: Trung Kien

Realizing that some positions on the field of the Vietnam national team were showing signs of fatigue, Coach Park Hang-seo made changes in terms of personnel. Van Duc, Anh Duc and Hung Dung were taken off the field one by one to make way for Hong Duy, Duc Chinh and Xuan Truong. In the last 10 minutes of the match, both the Vietnam and Malaysia national teams created dangerous opportunities, but no more goals were scored.

The Vietnamese team's defense was excellent, not conceding a goal in the second leg of the final. Photo: Trung Kien

Even in the last minute of extra time, the Malaysian team had one player sent off.

In the end, the Vietnam team won with a score of 1-0 and was crowned champion with a total score of 3-2 after 2 matches. Congratulations to coach Park Hang-seo and his team and Vietnamese football fans!

Starting Lineup:

Vietnam National Team:Van Lam, Dinh Trong, Duy Manh, Ngoc Hai, Van Hau, Trong Hoang, Huy Hung, Hung Dung, Quang Hai, Van Duc, Anh Duc.

Malaysia National Team:Farizal, Safawi, Zakaria, Shahrul, Nazirul, Sumareh, Syamer, Akram, Safari, Zaquan, Talaha.