Key takeaways from the draw between the Vietnam national team and the Thailand national team.

Coach Akira Nishino's mark

From the very beginning of the match, it was easy to see that the Thai national team played much more coherently and scientifically under their new coach, Akira Nishino. The control-oriented and versatile style of play that the Japanese coach brought helped the individuals of the "War Elephants," who already possessed fairly good basic techniques, to fully utilize their abilities.

The Japanese coach has helped Thailand undergo a transformation. Photo: Trung Kien

In the first half, noticing the lack of coordination between Duy Mạnh and Trọng Hoàng, who had just returned from injury, coach Akira Nishino instructed his players to attack directly down the right flank of the Vietnamese national team. This was the source of the most opportunities for the home team throughout the first half. Clearly, with a new coach who knows how to utilize the qualities of Thai players, the Thai team no longer played as "naively" as they did under the coach changes recently.

Quang Hai and Chanathip were lackluster.

As the two brightest stars who received the greatest expectations and attention before the match, their performances were unable to change the course of the game.

Both Quang Hai and Chanathip failed to live up to expectations. Photo: Trung Kien

In a game where the opposing team controlled possession more, Quang Hai dropped back to the midfield to create more chances, but the decisive passes from the Hanoi FC midfielder in the match lacked significant attacking threat.

On the opposite side, Chanathip Songkrasin was also surrounded and tightly marked by the Vietnamese national team's defense, preventing the midfielder from having a satisfactory match.

A gap in the right wing corridor.

Returning from injury, Trong Hoang put in a valiant effort, but his defensive performance couldn't be described as excellent. The lack of understanding between Trong Hoang and Duy Manh also led to Vietnam being put under considerable pressure by the opposing team in the first half. Fortunately, the three central defenders of the Vietnamese team provided solid cover, preventing any unfortunate consequences for the gap on the right flank.

Trong Hoang has not yet regained his best form after his injury. Photo: Trung Kien

In the second half, coach Park Hang-seo substituted Van Thanh for Trong Hoang in the 65th minute, and it only took the HAGL defender five minutes to make his mark with a dangerous shot towards the opponent's goal. However, in the final seconds of injury time, Van Thanh made a mistake by misjudging the ball. Supachok Sarachart broke through and created a dangerous situation.

If Trong Hoang doesn't regain his form in time, or if Van Thanh has to be used in upcoming matches, neither option will reassure coach Park Hang-seo regarding the right wing position of his team.

Cong Phuong has lost his form.

The lack of regular playing time at the highest level seems to have caused the striker from Nghe An to lose his form. Coming on at the start of the second half, Cong Phuong's only notable contribution was winning the ball back and delivering a superb pass to Van Toan, who broke free and created a dangerous one-on-one situation with the opponent's goal. However, the combination between the two attacking players, both from HAGL, failed to achieve the desired outcome.

Cong Phuong was unable to make an impact after coming on in the second half. Photo: Trung Kien

In the 90th minute, Cong Phuong had a chance to shoot inside the penalty area, but in the final touch, the number 10 striker lost his balance and sent the ball wide. With Tien Linh, Quang Hai, and Van Toan unable to change the course of the match, Cong Phuong's appearance in the second 45 minutes clearly did not satisfy fans regarding the Vietnamese national team's attack in this game.

Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam's pillar of support

Despite being under intense pressure and attacked by the opposing team for most of the match, Van Lam skillfully neutralized every attack from the opponent, especially aerial balls, while defending his own half.

Van Lam played a major role in helping the Vietnamese national team leave Thailand with one point. Photo: Trung Kien

In the final dangerous situation of the match, it was evident that Van Lam's ability to come out of his goal, which was previously a weakness, had improved when he rushed forward, preventing Supachok from having a wide enough shooting angle. His excellent save immediately afterward helped the Vietnamese national team avoid a defeat in the first round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The Vietnam and Thailand national teams drew in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

(Baonghean.vn) - Starting with almost their strongest lineups, both teams put on a tense match befitting a World Cup qualifying game. However, the failure to capitalize on the opportunities created resulted in a safe and comfortable outcome.