Vietnam National Team - Philippines National Team: Breaking the "curse" of My Dinh, advancing to the final

Although the Vietnamese team won 2-1 in the first leg on Philippine soil, domestic fans still do not dare to "let loose" because of past hauntings and the "curse" at My Dinh Stadium.

In 6 knockout matches of AFF Cup, including 5 semi-final matches, Vietnam team did not win at My Dinh Stadium. The most painful was the 2-4 loss to Malaysia team after winning 2-1 away in the first leg, in the semi-final of AFF Cup 2014.

The shock of 4 years ago is still an unhealed wound for Vietnamese football. It is not surprising that both coach Park Hang Seo and midfielder Nguyen Huy Hung mentioned it before welcoming the Philippines team.

Coach Park Hang Seo emphasized: “My team and I are very grateful for the support of fans nationwide. In the first leg, the Vietnam team won away, but the team has not forgotten what happened at the AFF Cup 2014. Therefore, the team will try to maintain high concentration. At this time, the Vietnam team has trained very well and is ready for the second leg of the semi-final.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Nguyen Huy Hung shared: “After the failure in 2014, in 2018, the Vietnam team reached the semi-finals and had a certain advantage when winning 2-1 away. But I hope everyone will focus, unite and continue to fight with the highest spirit to achieve good results in the second leg of the semi-finals.”

However, Vietnamese football has witnessed a series of miracles in 2018 and now is the perfect time to break the "curse" at My Dinh Stadium, entering the AFF Cup final after 10 years of waiting. At this time, Coach Park Hang Seo and his team have all the favorable conditions in their hands.

On the other side of the front line, the Philippines team is at a disadvantage in every way. “The Azkals” lost the first leg, had to play away at My Dinh after a 20-hour flight and coach Sven Goran Eriksson only has 15 players + 2 goalkeepers + injured Manuel Ott.

Coach Sven Goran Eriksson himself had to admit that he had never had as few personnel options as he does now: “I have been lucky before and have never coached with so few players. But I can assure you that the 11 starting players and the substitutes in the second leg of the semi-final are all in the best possible condition.”

The second leg of the 2018 AFF Cup semi-final between Vietnam and the Philippines will take place at 7:30 p.m. on December 6. This match will be broadcast live on VOV.VN, and we invite interested readers to follow along./.