Vietnam team won convincingly against Thailand

The first leg of the final betweenVietnam teamand Thailand in the framework of the 2024 Asean Cup, taking place on the evening of January 2 at Viet Tri Stadium - Phu Tho.

The Vietnamese team entered the final with an impressive record. At the end of the group stage, coach Kim Sang-sik's team finished in first place. In the first and second leg of the semi-finals, the Vietnamese team won convincingly against Singapore with a total score of 5-1, thereby winning the right to play in the final.

Vietnam's opponent, Thailand, is not far behind. The team from the Land of the Golden Pagodas won all the matches to confidently advance to the final match.

With the strength of the two teams, the confrontation between Vietnam and Thailand is considered the dream final match of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

That was shown when the ball rolled on the Viet Tri - Phu Tho stadium, without any probing, the Vietnamese team quickly increased the attack tempo to quickly find scoring opportunities. In the first 15 minutes, coach Kim Sang - sik's students created no less than 5 situations that could shake the opponent's net.

Notably, in the 3rd minute, after Xuan Son's effort, Vietnam was awarded a corner kick. From here, Van Vi sent a cross into the penalty area and at the second post, Vi Hao rushed in to head the ball but it missed the target.

About 3 minutes later, the Thai goal was shaken again by the strong and unexpected pressure of the Vietnamese team. Starting from a corner kick, captain Hoang Duc crossed the ball into the penalty area, Van Thanh was there at the right time, fired a low shot, but the ball missed the post by a hair.

Not stopping there, in the 15th minute, Vi Hao had the ball in a fairly open position in the penalty area but instead of passing it back to Xuan Son, he chose to shoot straight, forcing goalkeeper Patiwat to punch it out. Unfortunately, no home team player was able to rush in to kick the ball back.

In the extra minutes of the first half, the Vietnamese team continued to miss the opportunity to open the score, when Van Vi made a delicate pass for Xuan Son to enter the penalty area, before unleashing a left-footed shot from a tight angle, sending the ball behind the goal of Thai goalkeeper Patiwat.

Also in the first 45 minutes of the match, although the Thai team had good ball control, very few opportunities were created towards Dinh Trieu's goal.

Notably, in the 35th minute, Swedish striker Gustavsson escaped to the left side of the penalty area and kicked with his left foot (not his dominant foot), but the ball flew too inaccurately.

Thus, the first 45 minutes of the match ended without either side opening the score.

Entering the second half, the Vietnamese team increased the pace of attack, in which Xuan Son and his teammates continuously created trouble in front of the away team's goal.

After many missed shots, in the 59th minute, Xuan Son helped the Vietnamese team take the lead. The goal came from a cross deep into the penalty area by Quang Hai, Van Thanh headed the ball tactically for Xuan Son to rush in near the second post, heading the ball into the roof of the Thai net.

With the lead, the Vietnamese team played explosively, with consecutive attacks on the away team. In the 73rd minute, Xuan Son scored a double to double the gap for Vietnam. Striker number 12 stole the ball right from the feet of center-back Chalermsak Aukkee, then performed a solo act to eliminate center-back Pansa, before firing a low cross-angle shot past goalkeeper Patiwat.

After conceding the goal, the Thai team rose up to find a goal to shorten the gap and they got what they needed. Suphanat crossed the ball perfectly from the left wing, center back Chalermsak jumped high to head the ball hard, leaving goalkeeper Dinh Trieu helpless.

However, this was also the last goal of the first leg final between Vietnam and Thailand.

The match ended with a 2-1 victory for the Vietnamese team. The "Golden Star Warriors" broke the 27-year streak of not winning against Thailand at home, thereby holding an advantage going into the second leg away on January 5. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need at least a draw to win the 2024 ASEAN Cup./.