Host nation Singapore decides to use 'trickery' to defeat Vietnam.

More than anyone else, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) knows the strength of the Vietnamese national team. In the last 7 encounters, Vietnam won 4 matches against Singapore, drew 2, and lost only 1. During that time, we scored 11 goals and conceded only 3.

"We have also analyzed Singapore and are about 80% prepared for the match," Coach Park affirmed. Photo: Le Huy Khoa

The last time Singapore beat Vietnam was in a friendly match on November 26, 2008. The two teams drew 2-2 in 90 minutes of regular time, and Singapore was fortunate to win on penalties. Thus, over the past nearly 14 years, the Vietnamese national team has had a superior head-to-head record against the Lion City team. The short, low-passing style of play and constant switching of flanks by technically skilled players like Van Quyet, Quang Hai, and Van Duc always makes things difficult for the tall, but somewhat clumsy, players of the home team, Singapore.

The homeowner's "trick"

The Singapore national team has chosen Jalan Besar Stadium as their home ground for the 2022 AFF Cup matches instead of the Singapore National Stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000 and is one of the most modern sports facilities in Southeast Asia. Jalan Besar Stadium is currently the home ground of two Singapore national league clubs, Lion City Sailors and Young Lions. Jalan Besar is one of only two stadiums using artificial turf in the 2022 AFF Cup, along with Rizal Memorial Stadium, the home ground of the Philippines national team.

FAS calculated that the artificial turf at Jalan Besar would make it difficult for Vietnam's technically skilled players to showcase their abilities, especially with a large audience of over 5,000 people. Playing on artificial turf increases the risk of injury, a fact clearly demonstrated by the Singapore national team when their two key strikers, Ikhsan Fandi and Adam Swandi, suffered knee injuries in a friendly match against Maldives on December 17th at Jalan Besar and were excluded from the AFF Cup 2022 squad.

Vietnam is not the only team in Group B of the 2022 AFF Cup that has expressed concerns about the artificial turf at Jalan Besar Stadium. In October 2022, the acting President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Tran Quoc Tuan, raised this issue at a meeting of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), but his concerns were not addressed.

During the pre-match press conference between Singapore and Myanmar, the visiting team's head coach, Antoine Hey, also expressed his dissatisfaction. "It might be good at the youth level, but for high-paced international football matches, I don't think it's suitable. Ask yourself why no major tournaments like the World Cup, Champions League, or Asian Championship have played on artificial turf? What's the reason we're playing on artificial turf? You already have two players (Fandi and Swandi) injured; it's not a coincidence."

Waiting for New Year's gifts 2023

The Singaporean players are all tall and well-built. Photo: FAS

The FAS also scheduled the pre-match press conference at a very inconvenient time. Coach Park, Captain Hung Dung, and interpreter Le Huy Khoa had to attend the press conference at 12 noon, and their car was also 6 minutes late. "I think this way: the Vietnamese national team should participate in a normal press conference. This match is an away game, and the press conference is at 12 noon, right during lunchtime. For me, it's fine, but for the players, it affects the team's overall schedule," Coach Park stated frankly.

Except for Van Toan, who is suspended due to a red card in the match against Malaysia, Coach Park Hang-seo will have his strongest squad available for the away game against Singapore. Speaking about the match, Coach Park shared: “I don’t know what formation Singapore will use against Vietnam, but the formation will probably be the same, 3-4-3. We have also analyzed Singapore and are about 80% prepared for the match.” The whole team is determined to overcome the difficulties and win all three points as a New Year's gift for Vietnamese fans in 2023.