Both Vietnam and Philippines teams lost troops before the AFF Cup semi-final?

In the match against Indonesia in the final round of Group B of the AFF Cup 2018 that ended on the evening of November 25, Phil Younghusband was only able to play on the field for 26 minutes. A strong collision with an Indonesian player caused striker Phil Younghusband of the Philippine team to suffer a serious head injury.

The Philippine press reported that the 31-year-old striker was quickly taken to the hospital for monitoring. After the match, the Philippines coach, Mr. Eriksson, was unclear about the captain's condition. He said: "Phil is definitely an important player for the team both tactically and mentally. Now, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know what his injury is. Hopefully Phil will be back next week."

Phil Younghusband. Photo: AFF

Phil Younghusband is a mainstay of the Azkals, having scored 52 goals in 103 appearances for the national team. At the 2018 AFF Cup, the striker scored 1 goal. Since the 2010 AFF Cup, Younghusband has contributed goals for the home team, including a goal against Vietnam in 2010.

As for the Vietnam national team, the absence of Nguyen Van Toan in the remaining journey of the AFF Cup 2018 will force coach Park Hang-seo to find a replacement. The HAGL striker is a rare type of striker with the ability to move and shoot quickly.

If Phan Van Duc is in the starting lineup, the Vietnam national team still has Tien Linh and Duc Chinh, but these two players are not creative and innovative players.

On December 2, the two teams will play the first leg of the semi-final at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City, Philippines. On December 6, Coach Eriksson and his team will travel to Vietnam to play the second leg of the semi-final at My Dinh Stadium.

AFF Cup 2018: Statistics before the Vietnam - Philippines semi-final match

(Baonghean.vn) - This is the first time the Vietnamese team has faced the Philippines in the knockout round of the AFF Cup, although the two teams have met four times before.