AFF Cup 2022 Final: Strong offense in the first leg, solid defense in the second leg?

It has been over 14 years (2008-2022) since regional football last saw a final between these two fierce rivals, and whether the Vietnamese team will win their second consecutive match against Thailand, reclaiming the gold trophy from them, or whether things will unfold differently, is a question that is not easy to answer. Because at this point, no one dares to say "who will win" until the ball starts rolling.

24 years ago, at the 1998 AFF Cup,Vietnam national teamWith coach Calistore and a star-studded squad including Hong Son, Cong Vinh, Minh Phuong, Tai Em, Vu Phong, Quang Hai, etc., they secured a 2-1 victory in the first leg away from home. In the second leg, a stunning free-kick by Minh Phuong and a header from Cong Vinh helped the home team secure a draw, resulting in a 3-2 aggregate score and their first ever regional football gold cup victory.

A dangerous tackle by an Indonesian player during the match against Vietnam. Photo: Hai Hoang

This time, facing Thailand again in the final, the first leg takes place at home in My Dinh Stadium, offering many advantages for the Vietnamese team. The "Golden Star Warriors" are led by a South Korean coach who, four years prior, won the gold cup, but against Malaysia, not Thailand. In the 2020 tournament, the South Korean coach lost to Thailand in the semi-finals, losing the gold cup. Therefore, this final encounter is a matter of fate, as Park Hang-seo, despite his long-standing dominance in the region, has never beaten Thailand. More significantly, after this tournament, Park's contract will end, marking the conclusion of an unprecedented successful era for Vietnamese football.

In this "final battle," the Vietnamese team has top-tier players (missing from the two previous unsuccessful semi-final matches) who will bring much hope, including Van Lam, Hung Dung, and Van Hau. Meanwhile, players who once caused concern for the Vietnamese team, such as midfielder Chanathip, Supachock, and Supachai, are absent from the opposing team. Everyone knows that the Thai team has won the AFF Cup whenever they had the best player of the tournament, Chanathip (2014, 2016, 2020). Now that this star is not playing because his club won't release him, full-back Theerathon has become the leader, playing centrally and acting as the catalyst for the Thai team's advance to the final. Does this mean their strength hasn't diminished at all?

Tien Linh scored a brace to secure a victory for the Vietnamese national team against Indonesia. (Photo: Hai Hoang)

The two final matches will be a showdown between Thailand, the team with the best attack (16 goals scored, 2 goals conceded), and Vietnam, the team with the second-best attack (14 goals scored) and the best defense, having kept a clean sheet in 6 consecutive matches. Playing the first leg at home, without having to travel after the second leg of the semi-final, will Coach Park Hang-seo's team be able to create a significant advantage, at least greater than what Malaysia achieved in the second leg of the semi-final (only winning 1-0 against Thailand)? It's worth remembering that in both away matches against strong opponents like Indonesia and Malaysia, the Thais failed to demonstrate their true strength (drawing 1-1 and losing 0-1). Will the Vietnamese team be able to surpass their opponents like Indonesia and Malaysia, scoring more goals, containing Dangda or Adisak, and neutralizing Theerathon to cut off their supply of balls…?

The return leg away from home will certainly not be easy for the Vietnamese team, although everyone believes the red-shirted squad will not be bullied like Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-final (losing 0-3 to the home team). Therefore, the most important and safest thing to do is for Van Lam and the defense to continue to keep a clean sheet, and for Tien Linh and his teammates to attack and score as many goals as possible when playing at home. This will create the biggest advantage for the return leg, preventing the opponent from implementing their plans as they wish. If the Vietnamese team plays confidently in both final matches, breaking the opponent's will from the start in both the first and second legs—meaning they must play with more than 100% of their ability—then the prestigious gold cup will return to us, although everything will be extremely tense and not easy at all.