Coach Park does something 'unprecedented' before the match against Thailand; Vietnam team receives 'huge' bonus

Coach Park did something "unprecedented" before the match against Thailand at the AFF Cup

Strategist Park Hang-seo did something unprecedented in the last training session of the Vietnam National Team before entering the big match with Thailand in the first leg of the 2020 AFF Cup semi-finals.

On the evening of December 22, the Vietnamese team had its final training session before facing Thailand in the first leg of the semi-finals of the tournament taking place in Singapore.

Unlike usual, only talking to the players a few minutes before each training session. This time,Coach Park Hang-seohad a technical meeting with the whole team right on the training ground lasting nearly half an hour to analyze the opponent Thailand.

The whole team gathered around the table and Coach Park and the Coaching Board carefully analyzed the playing style that will be used in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2020 semi-final against rival Thailand.

The Vietnamese team holds a tactical meeting right on the training ground. Photo: VFF

The players were very attentive and listened carefully to the analysis from the Coaching Board. Next, the team entered training with high spirits, as well as full of confidence to defeat Thailand to enter the final.

Experts and even the Thai media also believe that the Korean coach will likely let the Vietnamese team return to their signature defensive counter-attacking style of play, because Thailand will likely play offensively when they have many good strikers.

Besides calculating the playing style, it is likely that the coach born in 1957 has also finalized the lineup to play against Thailand with a balance between attack and defense. It is expected that midfielder Tuan Anh will return to pair with Hoang Duc so that Quang Hai can play freely up front.

The first leg of the semi-final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 7:30 p.m. today (December 23). The AFF Cup semi-final does not apply the home-away goal rule. If the two matches are tied, extra time and penalties will be played.

Vietnam national football team will be awarded more than 2 billion VND if they beat Thailand.

A sponsor has offered the Vietnamese national team a bonus of more than 2 billion VND if they beat Thailand in the semi-finals of the 2020 AFF Cup.

The Vietnamese national team will be awarded more than 2 billion VND if they pass the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020. Photo: VFF

In addition to professional preparation, before the first leg semi-final match against Thailand, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team received a visit and encouragement from Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung. Through the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the Minister sent his best wishes to the team for good health, confidence, to play their best for the country and always keep the belief in victory in their hearts.

In addition to the enthusiastic support of a large number of fans at home and abroad, the Vietnamese team also received encouragement from sponsors. Notably, a sponsor announced that it would reward coach Park Hang-seo and his team with 100,000 USD (more than 2 billion VND) if they passed the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020.

Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool into League Cup semi-finals

This morning (December 23), the remaining 3 quarter-final matches of the 2021/2022 League Cup took place. There were no surprises when the highly rated teams Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool all won.

Chelsea played away to Brentford, Coach Tuchel fielded a squad with many substitutes, so the Blues failed to score the opening goal during the first half. Therefore, in the second half, the German strategist brought on Jorginho, Pulisic, Mason Mount and Reece James.

Tottenham beat West Ham Photo: Reuters

After putting quality players on the field, Chelsea created an overwhelming game against the home team. However, it was not until the 80th minute that the away team opened the scoring thanks to an own goal by Pontus Jansson.

In the 85th minute, Chelsea was awarded a penalty and Jorginho successfully converted it to help The Blues win 2-0, thereby registering their name in the semi-finals of the 2021/2022 League Cup.

Another representative of London, Tottenham, also won when welcoming West Ham at home. Coach Conte also fielded a team that was not the strongest, but with reasonable tactics and knowing how to seize opportunities, Tottenham won 2-1 against West Ham.

Liverpool's miraculous comeback against Leicester City. Photo: Reuters

The most notable match in the League Cup quarter-finals was Liverpool's match with Leicester City. Coach Klopp implemented a policy of rotating the squad, putting many substitutes on the field, so Leicester City led 3-1 after 33 minutes.

However, in the second half, Diogo Jota and Takumi Minamino scored together to help Liverpool equalize 3-3 and take the match to a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Kelleher played excellently, successfully blocking the opponent's shot twice to help Liverpool win 5-4 and secure a ticket to the semi-finals.

Singapore and Indonesia held each other to a draw in the first leg of the AFF Cup semi-finals

The first semi-final match atAFF Cup 2020The match between Singapore and Indonesia ended last night (December 22) at the Singapore National Stadium.

Indonesia's match with Singapore was marred by excessive fouls. Photo: Getty

After 90 minutes, the two teams tied 1-1 in a fierce "tit for tat" match with a total of 32 fouls. Among these, many times the players tackled the ball aggressively and dangerously.

This result forces both teams to focus on the second leg on December 25.

In the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2020, the home and away goals rule is not applied, so the two teams must play extra time or penalties to determine the winner if the second leg is still a draw.