Vietnam National Team: The look of the "2008 AFF Cup champions"

Football is a team sport, so achievements are the result of the entire team's efforts. But when talking about the 2008 AFF Cup championship, one cannot fail to mention Coach H. Calisto, the coach with the greatest achievements in Vietnamese football to date. He was the one who discovered Phan Van Tai Em, elevating the Long An player to become the best central midfielder in Vietnam at that time.

A story from 10 years ago

The Vietnamese national team is showing many similarities to the "2008 AFF Cup champions". Photo: Internet

Two Vietnamese players who made a significant contribution to Vietnam's 2008 AFF Cup gold medal win were Cong Vinh and Minh Chau. For some reason, in the group stage, the striker from Nghe An province, whether shooting from close range, long-range, or heading, always missed the target. He went four consecutive matches without scoring, yet the Portuguese coach still trusted him and he shone in the final against Thailand.

It takes immense courage for coach H. Calisto to ignore public opinion and place his complete trust in Cong Vinh, and this beloved pupil did not disappoint him. His extensive coaching experience recognized Cong Vinh's burning desire to score, even though Quang Hai, Viet Thang, and Thanh Binh were all ready to go at that time.

Midfielder Minh Châu was a player who "filled the void" rather late in the season. In the group stage, captain Minh Phương, Tài Em, and the 2008 AFF Cup were the ones trusted to play in the first matches.

It wasn't until the final group stage match against Laos that Minh Châu was given the opportunity to start in place of Minh Phương by coach Calisto. The Hải Phòng player then snatched the starting spot from the Vietnamese captain for the remainder of the tournament. With his strong tackling ability, the Hải Phòng player played a crucial role in the team's midfield in the semi-final against Singapore and the final against Thailand.

And finally, not to mention the surprising stroke of luck, it remains unclear why Singaporean striker Indra Sahdan Daud or Thai forwards Teerathep Winothai and Suchao Nutnum couldn't score against goalkeeper Duong Hong Son in such favorable situations. But with just a skillful shake of the head in the final minutes of the match, Cong Vinh brought the gold trophy back to Vietnam.

Remember today

Currently, we have coach Park Hang-seo, whose talent has been proven. Only he could discover and take the risk of using left midfielder Van Duc as a right-back, something no other Vietnamese coach would have thought of, let alone dared to do.

The central midfield pairing of Xuan Truong and Quang Hai is now a replica of Minh Phuong and Tai Em from 10 years ago, "attacking, not defending," and often at a disadvantage in one-on-one challenges.

Mr. H. Calisto is credited with bringing the 2008 AFF Cup championship to Vietnam. Photo: Internet

Hanoi midfielder Duc Huy's appearance in the final group stage match was strikingly similar to Hai Phong's Minh Chau years ago; they were alike in both appearance and playing style. His statistics—4 successful interceptions and 3 accurate long passes—were also identical to Minh Chau's. This "sweeper" played enthusiastically, aggressively blocking Cambodian attacks just like his predecessor.

We also have captain Van Quyet, who is causing just as much disappointment as Cong Vinh did years ago. In the group stage of this AFF Cup, the Vietnamese national team captain has yet to score a goal, provide an assist, or even register a header on target. Of course, coach Park Hang-seo is also under considerable pressure regarding whether to continue trusting the team's most experienced player in the semi-finals and final.

Of course, Park Hang-seo is not H. Calisto, so how he will utilize Van Quyet and Duc Huy in the semi-finals, or even the final, remains a secret. Whether we will be as lucky as we were 10 years ago is a question no one can answer. But clearly, the Vietnamese team's preparations bear a resemblance to the story that Cong Vinh and his teammates achieved a decade ago.