AFF Cup first leg final: Hardships show heroes

The 2-2 draw at home between the Vietnamese team and rival Thailand in the first leg of the 2022 AFF Cup final was not a "disaster", but it can be said without exaggeration that a draw is like a loss. Because the disadvantage in the second leg will increase many times when, if they want to turn the tables, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team must at least achieve a similar draw (2-2) to bring everything back to the starting line, then consider "fighting to the end", scoring a goal or at most bringing the match to a lucky penalty shootout....

The moment Tien Linh opened the score. Photo: Hai Hoang

The Vietnamese team had a good first half when Ngoc Hai advanced into the penalty area at least 3 times, but the Thais seemed unable to recognize and respond in time. Then, with just a long diagonal pass to the right wing (Van Hau's usual advanced position but this match was tightly covered), Ngoc Hai passed the ball inside like a true ball-playing expert and Tien Linh flew to head the ball in to open the score.

The Thais failed to complete their mission of stopping Tien Linh, despite their previous strong and confident declaration. In the context of the two flanks having no chance to advance, the midfield being surrounded by 5 Thai players, Mr. Park Hang-seo was very risky and skillful when allowing central defender Ngoc Hai to move, go deep, and create an effective surprise.

It can be said that the first half was a good match for Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team with the neat execution of all the plans set out.

But unfortunately, the second half was an extremely good match for Mr. Polking and Theerathon. In the trio of central defenders of the Vietnam National Team, through many matches, it can be seen that only Ngoc Hai and Tien Dung performed their duties best, while the third central defender, who were replaced by Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Thanh Binh and Viet Anh, all had a "skew" compared to the two seniors mentioned above.

In this most important match, it seems that Mr. Park Hang-seo was wrong from the beginning when using Duy Manh with his experience and inherent toughness. But everyone knows that Duy Manh did not play well in the first leg of the semi-final against the Indonesian team and was substituted? The first goal conceded at the beginning of the second half was Duy Manh's misjudgment, of course the midfielders not closing in on Theerathon was the remote cause.

Mr. Park Hang-seo then replaced Duy Manh with Viet Anh, but along with the important reason of bringing the defense up too high, Viet Anh did not have time to "warm up", causing the second offside trap of the red team to fail and the Thais scored 2 goals "as easy as turning over a hand".

A defense that was considered the most solid suddenly collapsed before an experienced opponent who took advantage of opportunities extremely well and above all, the Thais had enough replacements to both play the ball well and finish the game in the most satisfactory way when opportunities arose.

Van Thanh celebrates his precious goal. Photo: Hai Hoang

Van Thanh's late goal, with the contribution of reserve players Van Quyet and Thanh Binh, rekindled the opportunity for the Vietnamese team in the second leg away match. Of course, everyone knows that when returning to their "holy land", the strength of the Thais will increase significantly. Recently, Mr. Polking and his team just scored 3 goals easily against their rivals Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-final, even though they lost 0-1 in the first leg away. Talking about opportunities, of course, is in theory. In reality, whether the away team can do it, can climb the mountain or not is another matter.

Remember the 2008 AFF Cup away, coach Calistore and his team surprisingly won 2-1 against the powerful Thai team and had to draw somewhat luckily in the second leg at home to win the prestigious Gold Cup for the first time. Will history guide coach Park Hang-seo and his team to win 1-0, for example, to extinguish the opponent's dream? 14 years ago, Hong Son played extremely well, neutralizing most of the Thai team's powerful shots. Will Van Lam be able to do the same thing this coming Monday? And most importantly, will our players find a way to minimize all risks from the excellent playmaker Theerathon? After what was exposed in the first leg, will the defense of the Vietnamese team be able to strengthen in time to become as solid as possible against the not-so-surprising or unfamiliar attacks of the Thai team?

The final battle of Mr. Park Hang-seo as head coach of the Vietnam National Team is a huge challenge but not an insurmountable one. In the face of hardship, "show your heroism". There are many reasons for Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team to play a match of their lives, showing off their skills against an opponent who has never won in the most glorious period achieved in the region and continent. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Red Army convincingly defeated their Chinese neighbors 3-1. So, on this 25th day of the Lunar New Year, will Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team overthrow the Thais, reclaim the Golden Cup to welcome the Lunar New Year 2023 as true heroes?