Believe in Que Ngoc Hai!
(Baonghean.vn) - Central defender Que Ngoc Hai received the lowest rating in the Vietnamese national team in the first leg of the semi-final against Indonesia. However, we - those who have observed Ngoc Hai's performances for many years - still place our trust in this player from Nghe An.
Both goals conceded against Indonesia stemmed from unbelievable direct errors by center-back Que Ngoc Hai, a player with many years of experience in the national team. While his failure to mark Pratana for the first goal, allowing him to head the ball freely, might be acceptable, his foul on Stefano Lilipaly inside the penalty area, which resulted in Boaz Salossa scoring from the penalty spot to seal a 2-1 victory for Indonesia, is unforgivable.
Many have suggested that Ngoc Hai should be benched. But this article will show why Huu Thang should still trust Ngoc Hai in the second leg of the semi-final.
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| The coaching staff and teammates still have faith in Que Ngoc Hai. |
1.Currently, no one in the team has the experience, physical fitness, and aerial ability of Ngoc Hai. The mistake was due to Indonesia's attack, with names like Boaz Salossa, Andik Vermansyah, Rizky Pora, and Stefano Lilipaly, being much stronger than their opponents in the group stage.
Dinh Luat, a highly-rated center-back, still made mistakes against Cambodia's attack, which was not as strong as Indonesia's. No one can be sure that the replacement player will perform better than Ngoc Hai. In fact, in a poll of four potential center-back pairings, the Ngoc Hai - Dinh Luat combination received the highest support from fans at 52.79%, among the six options.
2.Ngoc Hai is versatile. With Rizky Pora still too fast on the left wing, Dinh Dong proving slow, and Andik Vermansyah giving Van Thang a hard time, Ngoc Hai is a viable alternative when needed. While at SLNA and with the national team, Ngoc Hai has often played as a central midfielder or right-back. This is an option Huu Thang will consider, given that Hoang Thinh's injury hasn't fully healed and it's uncertain whether the right-back can effectively contain Rizky Pora.
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| 52.79% of the audience supported the central defensive pairing of Ngoc Hai and Dinh Luat. |
3.Experience in counter-attacking. In the return leg at My Dinh Stadium, Indonesia will certainly not play a pressing game.,Attack relentlessly like in the first leg. With his good physical condition, tenacious tackling ability, and lessons learned from the first leg, Ngoc Hai is the most logical choice. Ngoc Hai will certainly know how dangerous Boaz Salossa, Andik Vermansyah, and Rizky Pora are, especially Rizky Pora's dribbling and speed. We've seen that Ngoc Hai is a very resilient player with a strong mentality, not easily intimidated by on-field incidents, so we believe he will know what to do.
4.A signature move. Ngoc Hai possesses three formidable "weapons": highly accurate long passes, headers from corner kicks, and powerful free kicks with his left foot. Having coached SLNA for many years, Huu Thang understands this player's strengths better than anyone. When Indonesia defends in large numbers, it's crucial to bring out these "weapons."
Let Ngoc Hai "make amends" for his past mistakes; we believe he will not let the fans down, regardless of the position he plays.
An Thanh
