Vietnam - Laos match: The mark of Nghe An players

The mark of players from Nghe An

This is a match where both Nghe An attacking players played very well. Cong Phuong andVan Duchad 2 goals, if he had been more careful on the penalty spot, substitute player Van Thanh would have scored to raise the score to 3-0. Coach Park's students had 12 shots, 5 on target (Laos only had 3 shots, 2 on target). Midfielder Van Duc scored a goal for his wife who is pregnant with their second child.

In this match, Van Duc moved a lot, supported the defense, and actively participated in pressing from the opponent's field. Number 20 was the author of many powerful long-range shots towards the Lao goal. Obviously, at the AFF Cup arena, against opponents of equal caliber, midfielder number 20 quickly showed his mettle and deserved to be voted the best player of the match.

Van Duc, the best player of the match. Photo: BTC

In this match, both coach V.Sundaramoorthy and coach Park Hang-seo used all 5 reserve players, but the Lao side was looking for an honorable goal while theVietnam teamis for Quang Hai and the reserve players to warm up. Although the opponent Laos is not strong, coach Park does not advocate attacking and scoring more goals. He simply wants to withdraw the pillars Tien Linh, Hoang Duc, Xuan Truong to rest to prepare for the match with Malaysia.

Although this was a match that did not require much activity, goalkeeper Nguyen Manh made two excellent saves. The goalkeeper from Nghe An has gained the trust of the coaching staff and teammates after returning to the team with a solid playing style. A start that has given fans more confidence and hope after 7 consecutive losses in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The opponent is too weak.

Before the match, the Laos team was ranked 185th on the FIFA rankings while Vietnam was ranked 99th, so only about 14% of people thought Laos would win, while Vietnam was 60%. In 8 matches, Laos only drew 1, lost 7, conceded 32 goals, and scored only 2 goals. In fact, coach V. Sundramoorthy only has 31-year-old striker Billy, who is playing in Ligue 2 (France), who is worth watching.

Tactical diagram of Vietnam National Team. Photo: VFF

Captain Soukaphone Vongchiengkham, once known as the “Lao Messi”, is 29 years old, and his physical strength and stature make it difficult for him to do anything against the Vietnamese players. The Singaporean coach also showed that he “knows the enemy and himself” when arranging the 4-5-1 formation, concentrating most of his players on the home field to protect the score.

In Group B, our main opponent is Malaysia, so Coach Park Hang-seo has left out many key players to prepare for the match with Malaysia 6 days later. We still play with the familiar 3-4-3 formation, but Ngoc Hai, Quang Hai, Tuan Anh, and Van Thanh are on the bench. Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh is the starting goalkeeper, and midfielder Xuan Truong wears the captain's armband and plays with Hoang Duc in the midfield, with Tan Tai and Hong Duy on the wings. The attacking trio is Tien Linh, Van Duc, and Cong Phuong, with Thanh Chung, Duy Manh, and Tien Dung in charge of defense.

Coach Park's tactics are very clear, pressing the ball all over the field so that the ball cannot reach Billy. Quickly score to withdraw the pillars to rest, limit injuries and cards by passing a lot. This is a match where we have 76% possession of the ball, not allowing Lao players to go beyond half the field. The striker Billy also had to retreat to the home field to participate in defense, so goalkeeper Nguyen Manh had a pretty easy match. Obviously, the level of the Vietnamese team is much higher than the opponent./.