AFF Cup 2018: Who will get the two semi-final tickets to Group B?
(Baonghean.vn) - It seems that the top ticket of Group B of the 2018 AFF Cup is unlikely to escape the hands of Thailand even though they still have 2 matches against the Philippines and Singapore. Thus, the teams of Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore will have to compete for the remaining ticket. However, if Thailand is unexpectedly eliminated, it will be a shocking event in Southeast Asian football.
Thailand is too strong
After 2 matches, the Thai team has 6 points in their pocket and a goal difference of +9, convincingly leading the group. If the 7-0 victory over the weak opponent East Timor, the 4-2 comeback against Indonesia proved the class of the Thais. The Thai players showed their class by controlling the game and scoring throughout the 90 minutes of play, even though they were the team that conceded the first goal.
It was not simple when Indonesia coach Bima Sakti had to admit in the post-match press conference: "I think Thailand is a strong opponent. They have many excellent players in the midfield and forward line. Set-piece situations are also a strong point that makes us face many difficulties. I think Thailand has a great chance in the race to win the AFF Cup 2018."
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| Which team can stop Thailand from winning the AFF Cup with a hat-trick? Photo: AFF |
The fact that Thailand still has to compete with the Philippines and Singapore makes the situation in Group B much more complicated, depending largely on the attitude of the "war elephants". Most likely, it will not be until the 4th match that everything will be decided and the 2nd ticket may have to be considered based on the secondary index.
In theory, Thailand could still be eliminated if they lost to the two opponents mentioned above, and in fact, at the 2007 AFF Cup, Singapore also beat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg and drew 1-1 in the second leg to win the championship. But not many people think about this, because the balance of power between them is quite large.
Who can do "earth-shattering" things?
With a goal difference of +1 and 6 points after 2 matches, whether the Philippines can get the 2nd ticket of this group to the semi-finals or not depends a lot on the perspective of coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. His team almost paid the price after scoring 3 goals against East Timor, when the opponent rose up to score 2 goals at the end of the match. The Azkals (street dogs) - the nickname of the Philippine team, have a temporary advantage in 2nd place in the rankings but maintaining that position is not easy.
Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson still has to face Thailand at home before the decisive match with host Indonesia later. How to get the most benefit when he is ahead of Indonesia and has a goal difference of +2 compared to coach Bima Sakti who only has a goal difference of -1 is something that this experienced coach must consider. If he gets 3 points against the visiting team Thailand, the whole region will have to bow down to this Swedish coach and the "building a house from the roof" method of the Philippines will be learned by many Southeast Asian countries.
Whether to fight hard against coach Milovan Rajevac and his team or try to get 1 point in this important match and then move to play Indonesia is a difficult question. No Filipino audience wants to see a bad scenario, fighting hard against the "war elephants" and then losing to Garuda - a mythical bird in Hinduism, the nickname of the Indonesian team.
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| AFF Cup 2018 Group B standings. Photo: AFF |
In the match at the same time, Singapore's victory over East Timor seems certain, at that time, in addition to having the same 6 points, the goal difference of +1 will be significantly improved. Singaporeans even considered "raining goals" on the weakest team in the group to wait for Thailand to relax in the final match, when they already hold the top spot in the group.
If coach Milovan Rajevac still decides to play to create momentum for the players, The Lions - the nickname of the Singapore team, will have no choice but to say goodbye to the AFF Cup 2018. At that time, they can only blame themselves for losing 0-1 to the Philippines earlier. Whether coach Fandi Ahmad of Singapore can do something "earth-shattering" at the Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand like his predecessors is something that many people are looking forward to.
Of the three teams, Indonesia is facing the most difficulty, as they are currently in 4th place in the group with 3 points after 3 matches and a goal difference of only -1. Thus, in the final match against the visiting team Philippines, even if they win, it will not decide their fate.
In our opinion, The Lions have about 35% chance of reaching the semi-finals, followed by Sven-Goran Eriksson's Azkals with 33% and finally Garuda with only 32%. And with the current form, any of these 3 teams meeting Vietnam in the semi-finals, we have a great chance to overcome.