Indonesia receives bad news before match against Vietnam; Thailand and Singapore enter AFF Cup semi-finals

Coach Park makes special requests for Vietnam national team players

Coach Park Hang-seo asked each Vietnamese player to give their opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of the Indonesian team and propose solutions to overcome them in the tactical meeting before the match.

On the afternoon of December 14, the Vietnam national football team had its last training session before entering the decisive match with Indonesia. If they win the match at 7:30 p.m. tonight, the team willCoach Park Hang-seowill officially win tickets to the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020.

Because it was a practice session close to the match day, Coach Park Hang-seo's training plan was only limited to 1 hour. The Korean coach reviewed and checked the compatibility of the positions in the squad to have the most suitable choice of personnel for the match against Indonesia.

Notably, coach Park Hang-seo has taken measures to guide his players to maintain maximum concentration for the next goal, as the spirit of the Vietnamese team is high after two victories against Laos and Malaysia.

Coach Park Hang-seo happily plays football with his students during the afternoon practice session on December 14. Photo: VFF

At the tactical meeting to prepare for the match, coach Park Hang-seo asked each player to give their opinions on Indonesia's strengths and weaknesses as well as propose solutions to achieve the best results.

Coach Park Hang-seo’s special request made it impossible for his players to be negligent. The Vietnamese national team players were forced to review video recordings of their opponents’ matches to have their own analysis and evaluation.

In terms of force,Vietnam National Teamstill has 100% of the team, no players are injured or have health problems. This is the advantage of coach Park Hang-seo and his team compared to the opponents in Group B as well as at the AFF Cup 2020.

In today's RT-PCR test, all members of the Vietnam National Team tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. This morning, December 15, the team will conduct rapid tests in accordance with the regulations of the AFF Cup 2020 organizing committee.

Thailand and Singapore enter AFF Cup semi-finals after 3 consecutive wins

The Thai team officially won a ticket to the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020, after a 2-1 victory over the Philippines team in the third match of Group A, which took place on the afternoon of December 14.

Teerasil Dangda opened the scoring for Thailand in the 26th minute, before center-back Manuel Bihr made a mistake that allowed Reichelt to equalize 1-1 for the Philippines in the 57th minute.

However, Teerasil Dangda once again became the hero of the Golden Temple team, when he scored the decisive goal from the 11m mark (78'), bringing a 2-1 victory and 3 points to the Thai team.

Dangda scored 4 goals for Thailand in the AFF Cup.

Thus, after 3 wins, coach Mano Polking's team has 9 points in Group A, officially winning a ticket to the semi-finals 1 round early, when it is 6 points ahead of the third-placed team, the Philippines.

The Thai team will only have to decide the top spot with the host team Singapore in the match on December 18.

Singapore also has a ticket to the next round, after a slight 2-0 win over Timor Leste in the match at 7:30 p.m. on December 14. The home team also has 9 points after 3 matches, temporarily ranked second in Group A due to scoring 1 less goal.

Indonesia received bad news before the match against Vietnam

Indonesia received bad news before the match against Vietnam when midfielder Elkan Baggott had to self-isolate due to being on the same flight with a passenger infected with Covid-19.

Indonesian newspaper Kompas reported that center back Elkan Baggott is self-isolating and will not be able to participate in the match against Vietnam tonight, December 15. This player tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, but was on the same flight to Singapore with a passenger infected with Covid-19.

According to Covid-19 prevention regulations in Singapore, Elkan Baggott must self-isolate at a hotel for 5 days, even though he previously played 45 minutes in Indonesia's 5-1 win over Laos on December 12.

Elkan Baggott is 1m94 tall. Photo: AFF

The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has yet to make an official announcement about Elkan Baggott's situation and coach Shin Tae Yong also refused to provide information about the 19-year-old central defender at a press conference before the match with the Vietnam national team.

The Korean coach said he would only answer questions about the squad after tomorrow night's match. Currently, Indonesia is leading Group B with the same 6 points as Vietnam but is temporarily ranked higher due to a better goal difference.

Elkan Baggott is one of Indonesia's most notable players at the AFF Cup 2020. The 1m94-tall central defender was born in Thailand, has an Indonesian mother and is playing football in England for King's Lynn Town on loan from Ipswich Town./.

Gnabry contributed to all 5 goals of Bayern

Serge Gnabry scored 3 goals and 2 assists, helping Bayern Munich beat host Stuttgart 5-0 in round 16 of the Bundesliga.

Gnabry ended the day with a brilliant performance with his third goal in the 74th minute. From Muller's pass, the Stuttgart goalkeeper punched the ball inaccurately, creating an opportunity for Gnabry to finish close to the goal, thereby sealing a 5-0 victory for Bayern.

In the early morning of December 15 (Hanoi time), Bayern Munich made Stuttgart suffer a humiliating defeat at home in the 16th round of the Bundesliga when Robert Lewandowski scored a double and Serge Gnabry scored a hat-trick. Bayern continued to lead the rankings with 40 points, 9 points ahead of Dortmund but having played 1 more match.