Xuan Son, Tien Linh... follow in the footsteps of Cong Vinh, Quang Hai

But during that incredibly long period of time,Vietnam teamAt least once achieved excellent results on the field of the biggest rival, Thailand. At the AFF Cup 2008, the Vietnam team won the first leg of the final on the Thai field with a score of 2-1 and drew 1-1 at Hang Day Stadium to take the top spot in regional football.

Citing the important data mentioned above to see that, although the away field is extremely difficult, the Vietnamese team has known how to "overthrow" the Thais, is a concrete reality. So, in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final on January 5, 2025, with a 2-1 lead, can Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his team repeat the feat that Mr. Calistore and his team achieved, to add the 3rd cup (after the 2nd cup under Mr. Park Hang-seo in 2018) to the traditional gold medal of Vietnamese football?

To achieve good results in the upcoming difficult and challenging second leg of the final, it is clear that the Vietnamese team needs to enter the match with the strongest force, the strongest fighting spirit until the last minute, and absolutely avoid the idea of ​​​​drawing for a draw. The host team Thailand must of course also deploy its strongest force, playing an overwhelming attack to achieve the possible goal. Up to this moment, the entire force of the two teams has been sent onto the field. All the tactical plans of the two coaches have also been basically revealed. The problem is how effective the specific implementation of the students will be? Which factors will shine and which factors will be stifled and neutralized...?

In such a general context, the Vietnamese team will have to accept playing defensively - counter-attacking like in the first leg of the final. Xuan Son plays the highest, as the only striker ready for counter-attacking situations that brought the goal to increase the score to 2-0 in the first leg of the final. The Thai defense once loudly talked about their ability to mark Xuan Son, but after 90 minutes of "taking the hit" at Viet Tri Stadium, they will strengthen to avoid repeating the mistake, although it is extremely difficult against the striker who is leading the tournament with 7 goals after 4 matches.

If Xuan Son maintains his form and class, the Thai people will have to "look up" to the ability to press, dribble, and the level of killing of this naturalized Brazilian striker. Of course, everyone can see that Xuan Son is currently in a state of extreme excitement, so there are times when he is hasty and lacks care in the final handling phases when this player could have done better and more effectively.

But for Xuan Son to have a chance to perform, the Vietnamese team must first and foremost defend firmly and tightly with a strong physical foundation, ensuring the formation distance, absolutely not leaving any weak link for the opponent to exploit.

The second half of the first leg of the final was a great lesson for the midfield line in terms of ensuring physical strength, in terms of the ability to neutralize the opponent's versatile style of play. And it is very possible that Mr. Kim Sang-sik realized the physical weakness of the central defenders, the gradual decline in the midfielders' physical strength, which led to Thailand's equalizer at the end of the second half? Therefore, the requirement for reasonable distribution of strength is always placed on each player throughout the match, including the extra minutes. Not to mention, the use of suitable substitutions, for example, Duy Manh and Tien Linh have good physical strength and abundant physical strength, if they enter the field earlier, can they ensure more safety and create greater efficiency?

With long-term calculations and practical work, Mr. Kim Sang-sik is really skillful in knowing how to rotate the appropriate force and find the best lineup for the most important matches. The starting lineup in the first leg of the final is considered the best lineup of the Vietnam National Team at the moment, with the difference being that the reserve players also have a basis for trust. For example, Nguyen Philip can completely start even though Dinh Trieu is being trusted more. Although Quang Hai entered the field from the second half, it cannot be said that he has not really returned to his best version. Tien Linh seems to be saving his strength for the difficult second leg of the final ahead...

In the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the defending champion Thailand, despite winning all the group stage matches, lost two consecutive away matches in the semi-finals and finals, which is a sign of "instability" for this team considered to be the top team? Thailand also "near-death" in the second leg of the semi-finals against the Philippines, and whether they can prove anything in the second leg of the final against Xuan Son and the Golden Star Warriors is not an easy question to answer.

Let us recall the match in Thailand 27 years ago to believe that the Vietnamese team can create a miracle, fulfilling the expectations of many fans near and far. At that time, there were heart-warming goals by Cong Vinh, Quang Hai… Now will there be memorable goals by “Top scorer” Xuan Son, Tien Linh?

Chau Phu