Enhancing the value of the Golden Cup

Any championship trophy is plated in gold, but after the AFF Cup 2008, even coach H. Calisto had to admit: "We are the champions, but Thai football is still one level above Vietnam's."

When talking about that achievement, many players of that golden generation admitted that we were very lucky in the process of winning the championship. But this time, we confidently and steadily went to the final match and raised the prestigious trophy.

Lucky championship

In the 2008 AFF Cup, at least two clear goals by Singapore and Thailand against goalkeeper Hong Son in the first leg of the semi-finals and the first leg of the final were denied by the referee in the style of “my right”. So much so that later the regional press claimed that the Malaysian referee named Ramachandran Krishnan who officiated these two matches “was from his mother’s hometown in Vietnam”.

Regional football teams all admit that Vietnam deserved to win the AFF Cup 2018. Photo: Trung Kien

Although considered lucky, it must also comeIn the 90+4 minute, after Le Cong Vinh's somewhat lucky header into the Thai net, we dared to believe that the championship was in our hands. A championship that would satisfy the craving for gold medals rather than marking the elevation of Vietnamese football or the team's achievements. In fact, after the 2008 championship, we did not have any other significant achievements.

But the championshipThe 2018 AFF Cup was completely different. The Vietnamese champions were crowned champions with 6 wins and 2 draws away from home with a rare poise. We had a successful 2018, from the U23 Asia, Asiad to the AFF Cup, always creating the mentality of a well-prepared team.

New level

On the way to the championship, the Vietnamese team did not attack fiercely but always steered the match according to their desired intentions, forcing the opponent to follow the style of play they chose. If the two previous golden generations of Huynh Duc, Hong Son and later Minh Phuong, Tai Em, Cong Vinh, we always had a fiery attack, relying on the skillful techniques of the players without knowing the results, now it is different.

The style of play is not to retreat deep to defend in large numbers, not to press all over the field from the beginning of the match. The Vietnamese players are ready to let the opponent hold the ball, only focusing on ensuring the game by keeping the distance between the lines and players to suddenly attack and score. In 8 matches of the AFF Cup 2018, we took the field with 8 different formations and Mr. Park had surprisingly effective substitutions.

The Korean teacher was the one who discovered and raised Van Duc to the next level. Photo: Internet

In the two final matches, whether playing at Bukit Jalil or My Dinh, Mr. Park Hang-seo and his students made it impossible for the opponent to show their intentions. When Malaysia thought we would defend, Van Duc and his teammates attacked and scored, when they wanted to play fast, we broke the match into pieces with collisions on the field.

If in the past and at the AFF Cup 2008, we would have innocently pushed our squad to attack with the style of playing "a hundred torches will definitely catch the frog", only to be hit by "counterattacks" and lose miserably.

Before Mr. Park came to Vietnam, his predecessor Huu Thang had lost matches that even the insiders did not understand why they lost. Because in many matches, we were superior to the opponent in all technical parameters, except the score.

13 months in Vietnam, the coach of the land of Kim Chi, the country with the highest level of professional football in the continent, has brought us a completely different philosophy of playing football. He has trained Quang Hai, Van Duc and the young players to play coldly - something that all previous generations of Vietnamese players have not been able to do.

Mature player

In addition to professional factors, Mr. Park has carefully prepared the players mentally and physically for this tournament. Photo: TK

In addition to the technical factors, Mr. Park has carefully prepared the players' mentality and physical strength for this tournament. In the two final matches, the two teams had a total of 86 fouls, especially the referee had to draw out 12 yellow cards to warn the players of both teams, in which Shahrul Saad was given 2 yellow cards and was sent off at the end of the match. We stood firm after 2 very tense matches, which consumed a lot of physical strength.

There was still a bit of luck when slow-motion replays showed Quang Hai was offside before passing the ball to Anh Duc to score, but the overall championship this time was recognized by regional experts.

More importantly, with youth training being increasingly given attention by clubs, winning the AFF Cup 2018 affirms that Vietnamese football has truly improved.

Watch Anh Duc's volley against Malaysia again

(Baonghean.vn) - From a long ball on the right wing, Van Hau passed it back to Quang Hai, so that the Hanoi midfielder could cross it into the penalty area. Anh Duc leaned down to volley with his left foot, sending it into the opponent's net.

Review the golden goal that helped Vietnam win the 2008 Southeast Asian Football Championship

(Baonghean.vn) - In the 90+3 minute of a free kick, Cong Vinh intercepted Minh Phuong's cross to head the ball back to equalize 1-1 for Vietnam against Thailand, helping Vietnam win 3-2 overall and for the first time in history win the AFF Cup since the tournament was renamed.