AFF Cup 2018 Final: Dragon - Tiger fight

Without any hesitation, Coach Tan Cheng Hoe declared that he would attack, even though the Tigers had to face two defeats right on My Dinh Stadium. With the proactive attack, the Tigers could win against Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, but after three consecutive matches, they still have not won three points against the War Elephants or the Vietnamese Dragons.

Dragon playing with Tiger

The semi-finalists “Malaysian Tigers” are currently tied with “War Elephants”, they have advanced to the finals due to a rule on home and away matches. Right on the “fire pan” of Bukit Jalil with the cheers of more than 80,000 home fans, coach Milovan Rajevac has already beaten the drums and collected the gongs to wait for the Malaysians at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok). It was not a wrong decision, because many coaches in the world have successfully used this trick, holding their teams to a draw away from home to wait for the home match.

Dragon - Tiger fight at My Dinh Stadium. Photo: AT

More than anyone, Mr. Milovan Rajevac understands that when the "Tigers" are in good form, it is reasonable for the "War Elephants" to step aside, because without the best "elephants", the "War Elephants" cannot make waves at this AFF Cup.

At Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok), the “War Elephants” also had many moments when the “Malaysian Tigers” were surrounded and suffocated. The technical parameters of a football match were all in favor of the “War Elephants”. But in the end, the “Tigers” won in a situation where Adisak Kraisorn could not show the spirit of a warrior in the decisive moment when taking a penalty, not because they lost the game.

The two matches against the “Vietnamese Dragon” had the same scenario. The “Dragon” played slowly at home, watching the “Malaysian Tiger” throw kicks, looking for openings to counterattack. Before that, the “Tiger” attacked like a storm from all 3 directions, right-left-center, using both “pounces” from above, short, quick attacks in the center area, but the “Dragon” focused highly to wait for openings.

If the “Malaysian Tigers” have an advantage in terms of physique and physical strength, allowing them to show off their ball-holding and attack moves, the “Vietnamese Dragons” are different. The Vietnamese boys hold the ball, kick slowly, then suddenly change speed, surprising their opponents.

In confrontations, the “Dragon” uses the tactic of “using softness to overcome hardness”, cleverly predicting the opponent’s intentions, finding a more advantageous position, avoiding having to use force to rush head-on. Therefore, in competitions, people will see the “Malaysian Tiger” rush at the opponent at high speed, not afraid of collision, while the “Dragon” dodges, avoids, and hides to steal the ball.

If the “Malaysian Tiger” relies on “sharp claws” named Norshahrul Idlan, Zaquan Adha, the “Vietnamese Dragon” has more claws. Names like Nguyen Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Anh Duc, regardless of age, when Mr. Park puts them on the field, they score.

The “Malaysian Tigers” rely heavily on set pieces, hanging the ball in high, while the “Vietnamese Dragons” use the underhand trick, then pass the ball back to the second line. Mr. Park has many cards in his hand such as Quang Hai, Van Duc, Trong Hoang to do that.

The decisive blow

The “Dragon” will not rush to attack, will not push the formation too high but will not let the “Tiger” approach Van Lam’s goal. The “Dragon” will try to stall the midfield area, create a stalemate, wait for the “Tiger” to get impatient to move up, to launch the decisive blow.

Who will win the AFF Cup throne? Photo: AFF

While Mr. Tan Cheng Hoe has almost used up all his tricks in the two matches, Mr. Park still has reserve players like Van Toan, Tien Linh, and Hong Duy. Having only been on the field for 15 minutes, Van Toan is a player with an annoying wing attack, lowering his center of gravity, and sneaking into the position Nazirul Naim left after his injury.

Meanwhile, Tien Linh, with his height advantage, will launch his headers, the ball hitting Farizal’s goal. The midfielder of B.Binh Duong is a brilliant strategic card, when he is put on the field, he immediately scores a goal. Meanwhile, Hong Duy is a replacement for Van Duc when needed on the left wing, Duy is a player with speed and cunning.

“Rong Viet” has quite a few players, but only Mr. Park knows who is playing in the starting lineup and who is on the bench. Even Van Quyet and “killer” Cong Phuong had to sit on the bench to know that “Rong Viet” has so many attacking options.

Being able to play in the terrible heat of 40,000 home fans at My Dinh Stadium, forgetting the early winter cold is an honor for any player.

“Cheer up” everything is taken care of by Mr. Park Hang-seo. The whole country held its breath for 90 minutes waiting for the moment of coronation after a 10-year wait for the beloved team.

Expected lineup of both teams

Goalkeeper:Farizal

Defender:SyahmibinSafari, Irfan Zakaria, Shahrul Saad,AdambinNor Azlin

Midfielder:Akram Mahinan, Syamer Kutty, Safawi Rasid, Mohamadou Sumareh

Forward:Norshahrul Idlan, Zaquan Adha

Vietnam (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper:Dang Van Lam

Defender:Que Ngoc Hai, Tran Dinh Trong, Do Duy Manh

Midfielder:Doan Van Hau, Nguyen Huy Hung, Pham Duc Huy, Nguyen Trong Hoang

Forward:Phan Van Duc, Anh Duc, Nguyen Quang Hai