Rookie goals, Vietnam avoids defeat against the Philippines.
The Vietnamese national team played to a hard-fought draw against the Philippines in the fourth match of Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2024.
On the evening of December 18th, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Philippines, the match between the Vietnamese and Philippine national teams in the ASEAN Cup 2024 took place.
Before this match, the Vietnamese team had just secured a crucial victory against Indonesia. This win also gave Kim Sang-sik's team 6 points after 2 matches and propelled them to the top of Group B.
Based on the current points totals, the Vietnamese team only needs one point against the Philippines to secure an early spot in the semi-finals. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his players are still determined to win all three points in this match.
Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik made several changes to the lineup. Specifically, Filip Nguyen was in goal for the Vietnamese team in this match. The three central defenders were Duy Manh, Viet Anh, and Nguyen Thanh Binh. Meanwhile, Van Khang, Van Thanh, Quang Hai, Ngoc Tan, and Chau Ngoc Quang played in midfield, with Dinh Thanh Binh and Vi Hao playing highest up in the attack.
On the other side of the pitch, with a draw against Laos, the Philippines have only managed 2 points after 2 matches and need a win to have any hope of advancing from the group stage.
Given the importance of the match, the home team approached it cautiously from the moment the ball was kicked off at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The artificial turf of the Rizal Memorial Stadium proved quite challenging for the Vietnamese team. The bounce and speed of the ball were significantly different from natural grass, hindering the Vietnamese players' passing. In fact, the Philippines started better and created many difficulties for the Vietnamese team with their determined style of play.
In the 9th minute, the referee pointed to the penalty spot after Vu Van Thanh was pushed down by Adrian Ugelvik inside the Philippines' penalty area. However, VAR intervened, causing the referee to review the collision on the sidelines and subsequently reversed his decision, canceling the penalty.
The Vietnamese team had more shots on goal than the home team in the first half. However, there was only one truly dangerous situation in front of the home team's goal, a shot by Dinh Thanh Binh that forced goalkeeper Patrick Deyto to make a save. Playing rather uneventfully, the first 45 minutes of the match ended without any truly noteworthy moments for either team.
In the second half, the Vietnamese team almost opened the scoring when Van Thanh surged forward and took a shot from the second line, but the ball hit the crossbar. In the 62nd minute, Hoang Duc, who came on at the start of the second half, rattled the opponent's goal with a shot that hit the post.
A surprise occurred in the 68th minute when Khuất Văn Khang, under pressure from a Philippine player, headed the ball away but inadvertently created an assist for Javier Gayoso. The Philippine number 9 unleashed a decisive shot that Nguyễn Filip was unable to save.
After conceding a goal, coach Kim Sang Sik brought on Tien Linh, Van Vi, and Tuan Hai, but the Vietnamese team's play still lacked cohesion, preventing them from creating any significant threats to Deyto's goal for an extended period.
As the match entered the 8 minutes of added time, the Vietnamese players pushed forward and increased the pressure. In the 90+7th minute, after Deyto missed a corner kick from the Vietnamese team, Doan Ngoc Tan seized the opportunity to score the equalizer, making it 1-1.
With the draw against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team remains at the top of Group B with 7 points, while the Philippines have 3 points and are in third place. In the final round on December 21st, the Philippines will play away against Indonesia, while Vietnam will host Myanmar at Phu Tho Stadium.
