Vietnam National Team - Cambodia National Team: Opportunity for Van Duc and Tien Linh to relieve pressure

Cambodia can be considered a very special case inAFF Cup 2020.In a group that originally included Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, Cambodia, a team with low scores, played with confidence. In the history of the AFF Cup, Cambodia has never created so many chances. In the match against Laos, the team shot 18 times and scored 3 goals. In the previous 2 matches against Malaysia and Indonesia, Cambodia also shot 14 and 13 times respectively.

The goal against Laos still hasn't really helped Van Duc revive..Photo: VFF

In addition, Cambodia also controlled the ball more than their opponents in all 3 past matches. They kept the ball for 57%, 55% and 65% of the matches against Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos respectively. This team also earned 3 points from the 3-0 victory over Laos on December 15. Although that did not help the Cambodian team avoid elimination, it was also a lever for them to try and confidently enter the match against Vietnam at 7:30 pm tonight (December 19).

Cambodia is showing a very positive face at the AFF Cup 2020.Image:AFF

Faced with the unpredictability of Cambodia, Coach Park Hang-seo probably cannot be complacent enough to field a team of all reserves. Perhaps in the early stages of the match, a relatively strong force with some main players will be used. If so, the two names that fans are waiting for will be able to play, even the whole match, are certainly Van Duc and Tien Linh. Both players on the attack line are causing quite a bit of disappointment with their performances.

With Van Duc, after an impressive match against Laos in the first round, the Nghe An player caused similar disappointments as when he played in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. Against both Malaysia and Indonesia, Van Duc played very poorly. He did not contribute significantly to the team. The lack of breakthrough from Van Duc can be considered one of the main reasons why Vietnam's attack was deadlocked against Indonesia in the match on December 15.

Another name, Tien Linh, is also making fans feel disappointed. From being the top scorer of the Vietnam national team with 7 goals in the 2nd and 3rd qualifying rounds of the 2022 World Cup, Tien Linh has yet to score a single goal in this year's AFF Cup.

Remember, Tien Linh was given several opportunities by his teammates to score. Against Malaysia, he received two assists in the 69th and 87th minutes from Van Toan, after crossing into the penalty area. However, Tien Linh did not show any sharpness or determination when given the opportunity.

The same thing happened in the second half of the match between Vietnam and Indonesia. Hong Duy had a very smart cross. Tien Linh only needed to accelerate and cut in well, he could easily score when that pass completely eliminated the opponent's defense. But in the end, all the fans witnessed was Tien Linh holding his head in regret.

3 years ago, Van Duc and Tien Linh also scored in the 3-0 victory over Cambodia. At that time, the goal from the header was also a pressure relief for the striker who was playing for B.Binh Duong. As for Van Duc, the goal after a classy turn and finish proved the value and class of the Nghe An player. Therefore, it would not be surprising if Tien Linh or Van Duc sought an opportunity to relieve the pressure for themselves from the match against Cambodia.

Ba Tuan