Que Ngoc Hai and 4 Vietnamese members in AFF Cup Best Team
Coach Park Hang-seo and four students are highly appreciated by Fox Sports Asia.
Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam (Vietnam team):Van Lam impressed with his ability to block, fight in the air and control the penalty area. In the second leg of the final, he had a stable performance, along with a number of decisive saves, helping his team successfully defend their 1-0 victory over Malaysia. In the entire tournament, Van Lam only conceded four goals.
Center back Shahrul Saad (No. 3, Malaysia):Not highly rated when the tournament started, but Shahrul emerged as Malaysia's true leader.While teammate Aidil Zafuan provided a quiet influence, the 25-year-old centre-back stepped up and became a bright spot in the confrontation with the top strikers in Southeast Asia.
Center-back Pansa Hemviboon (No. 6, Thailand):Not winning a ticket to the final, but many Thai players still made a good impression.One of them is Pansa. In addition to his defensive ability, the 1m91 tall center back also participated in effective attacks when scoring three goals against Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Center back Que Ngoc Hai (Vietnam):From a hot-headed young player to an exemplary leader, the 25-year-old central defender has made a remarkable transformation for experts. Wearing the captain's armband for most of the time, Que Ngoc Hai has always shown stability alongside his two young teammates Tran Dinh Trong and Do Duy Manh. Thanks to that, Vietnam has the most solid defense at the AFF Cup.
Right winger Syahmi Safari (No. 4, Malaysia):Shining at just 20 years old, Syahmi was a revelation at the AFF Cup.The Selangor FC player has always been impressive in defence as well as in attack. Syahmi left his biggest mark when he fired a long-range shot to equalise 1-1 for Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-final in Thailand.
Central midfielder Thitipan Puangchan (No. 8, Thailand):Like Pansa, Thitipan is one of the few Thai players who can be satisfied with the tournament.With teammate Tanaboon Kesarat out of form, the all-round midfielder had to do almost double the work. Thanks to Thitipan, Thailand launched effective attacks from midfield and finished the group stage with the most goals.
Central midfielder Syamer Kutty Abba (No. 14, Malaysia):Both Malaysian central midfielders were impressive on the way to the final, but Syamer was the standout.While Akram Mahinan mainly acts as a shield for the defense, the 21-year-old star also plays an effective supporting role in the attack. Syamer often causes a lot of problems for the opponents, especially when playing against Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
Left winger Doan Van Hau (Vietnam):Shining and starting at the age of 19, Van Hau has a bright future in the Vietnamese national team. In addition to his energy and wide range of activities, experts also highly appreciate the "number 5" for his vision and ability to pass the ball like a star creator. His hot temper is the only thing Van Hau needs to overcome.
Attacking midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai (Vietnam):Quang Hai is Vietnam's second-highest scorer with three goals, but his overall contributions are what really matter. With his skillful individual skills, observation skills and accurate passing ability, Quang Hai is the soul of the team's play. The AFF Cup Organizing Committee also had the right perspective when awarding the Best Player award to Quang Hai.
Forward Norshahrul Talaha (yellow shirt, Malaysia):In a tournament with many young stars shining, Norshahrul and Nguyen Anh Duc embodied the experience factor. From the group stage to the semi-finals, the 32-year-old striker scored five goals regularly and climbed to second place in the race for the Golden Boot. Norshahrul only "silenced" when facing Vietnam - the undefeated team that became the champion.
Striker Nguyen Anh Duc (Vietnam):Anh Duc's four goals were all important in bringing four victories to Vietnam. In particular, the last two goals were truly "as precious as gold" when they helped the team open the score in the first leg of the semi-final on the Philippines' field and beat Malaysia 1-0 in the second leg of the final. For a 33-year-old player, what Anh Duc has achieved at the AFF Cup is unimaginable.
Coach Park Hang-seo (Vietnam):Coach Tan Cheng Hoe impressed when he brought Malaysia to the final, but experts gave the highest rating to Vietnam's coach.
In addition to his revolutionary football philosophy for Vietnam, the Korean coach also instilled confidence in the younger generation of players. Not letting him down, players like Van Hau, Van Duc, and Quang Hai shone, bringing Vietnam its first AFF Cup championship after 10 years of waiting.
AFF Cup typical lineup according to 3-4-3 formation.