Vietnam national team faces Singapore (June 6): First title?

(Baonghean.vn) - Since taking over the Vietnamese national team, this is the first time Coach Nguyen Huu Thang has faced a Southeast Asian opponent, the Singapore national team. What's special is that this encounter takes place in the final of the AYA Bank Cup. This is an opportunity for Coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his team to win their first title as head coach of the Vietnamese national team.

Under coach Nguyen Huu Thang, the Vietnamese national team is undergoing a significant transformation in both playing style and tactical thinking. A concrete example of this is the impressive performance of the Nghe An-born strategist in their last seven matches, including official, friendly, and training games. They have won three matches against Than Quang Ninh, Taiwan (in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers), and most recently, Syria in a friendly match.

Striker Le Cong Vinh is expected to continue to shine in the final match against Singapore.

Besides a rather impressive start, the strategist from Nghe An is also showing his mark on the playing style of the Vietnamese national team. One of the important factors of this 44-year-old coach is establishing a "football philosophy" for the Vietnamese national team that is distinctive and suitable for the physical condition and characteristics of the Vietnamese people.

It's a fast-paced, short-passing style of play similar to tiki-taca. This is considered a suitable choice for the current state of Vietnamese football. This is because we possess top-quality players who have received professional training at the HAGL and SLNA football academies, possessing the necessary qualities and techniques to implement the style of play that the coach has envisioned.

In the recent match against an opponent with many naturalized players possessing superior physique and stamina, the Hong Kong (China) team faced many difficulties, conceding the first goal. However, thanks to the timely brilliance of striker Le Cong Vinh, who has been in excellent form recently, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang's team held Coach Kim Pan Gon's team to a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes of regular time, and then brilliantly won in the "fateful" penalty shootout.

Goalkeeper Hassan Sunny is the most notable player of the Singapore national team.

Although they defeated Hong Kong in the semi-finals, one thing that worries Vietnamese fans is that the defense is still showing fatal weaknesses, allowing the opponent to score twice against goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh with almost identical scenarios.

If Coach Kim Pan Gon's strikers had capitalized on the mistakes of the Vietnamese defenders, the number of goals conceded by Coach Nguyen Huu Thang's team would surely have been much higher than just two. This is a problem that the coach from Nghe An must urgently address before facing Singapore in the final.

Conversely, the Singapore team, with their defensive counter-attacking style, secured a narrow 1-0 victory against hosts Myanmar, with Faris scoring the only goal in the 34th minute, to confidently advance to the final. A notable aspect of this match was the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who made at least four crucial saves against shots from Myanmar's wing forwards. He was a vital anchor for the Singapore team in their clash with Vietnam.

Nevertheless, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang's team holds certain advantages. Currently, the Vietnamese national team is receiving support from historical statistics ahead of their matches against Singapore.

Accordingly, since the bitter defeat with Sasi Kuma's back-kick goal in the 1998 Tiger Cup final, the Vietnamese national team has no longer been at a disadvantage against Singapore, remaining undefeated since 1999. In 17 encounters since 1993, Vietnam has won 6 matches against Singapore, lost 4, and drawn 7 times, with a goal difference of 14-13.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese team currently has players in excellent form such as Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Thanh Luong, Van Quyet, and especially the impressive performance of key striker Le Cong Vinh under coach Nguyen Huu Thang. This is an important foundation that allows fans to believe in a victory for the home team against Singapore in the final match taking place on the afternoon of June 6th.

Cao Anh