Vietnam team needs a steel spirit in the second leg of the final

In fact, history is always… history with very specific and authentic data. If the Thais have once known how to turn defeat into victory, they have failed 3 times when they were behind in the first leg of the final out of 4 times they have entered the final of the regional tournament. That was the AFF Cup 2007, the Thais lost to Singapore after losing the first leg and drawing the second leg; the AFF Cup 2008, Thailand lost to Vietnam 1-2 at home and only had a 1-1 draw away; the AFF Cup 2012, Thailand lost to Singapore 1-3 away and only won 1-0 in the second leg. “History” has actually repeated itself between Thailand and Singapore as mentioned above. So the "history" between Vietnam and Thailand in 2008 also has a basis to repeat itself in 2024 when in the first leg Vietnam led Thailand 2-1 and in the second leg of the final, Vietnam will make history?

But in the end, the above is only for reference. The reality on the field will be more lively and surprising than all available data, calculations and public opinion. Obviously, the Thais were at a disadvantage in the first leg of the final when playing away, with less rest and training time between matches than Vietnam. But coach Ishi had long-term plans when he sent the Suphachok and Suphanat brothers onto the field in the second half of the first leg, giving the midfielders Peeradon and Weerathep a complete rest to fight in the second leg. After the loss in the first leg, the Thais are creating a campaign to "wind up their spirits" to create a big advantage for the decisive match. Those are "tricks" related to Xuan Son such as "tightly marking Xuan Son will make Vietnam lose" or "the quality of Thai players is much better than Vietnam...".

The duel in the technical area is also taking place very dramatically and attractively. Mr. Kim Sang-sik also only let Duy Manh and Tien Linh enter the field from the end of the second half and will most likely put them on the field from the beginning in the second leg of the final. The pillars like Tuan Hai and Van Khang are completely fit, ready to fight against the Thais in a historic match.

No matter how much they encourage themselves, the Thai people must admit that the talent and strength that Xuan Son has brought to the Vietnamese team is concrete, proven by 2 goals and many dangerous shots. Obviously, a Chalermsak following Xuan Son is not enough, the risk of conceding a goal is near as seen. Even with the duo Pansa-Chalermsak sticking close, Xuan Son still jumped up to head the ball to open the score. There were times when the Thai defenders had to have 3 players covering each other to hope to "surround" Xuan Son and in such a context, the other Vietnamese players would have a lot of "room to perform". This is the "dead point" for Thailand when facing Vietnam with Xuan Son full of strength and the ability to score goals of the number 1 candidate for the Golden Boot, with the talents Quang Hai and Hoang Duc playing with the best version.

Playing away from home, from Laos, Philippines, Singapore to Thailand, all are difficult matches, challenging from less to more, from easy to difficult for the Vietnam Team. This second leg final, of courseCoach Kim Sang-sik will have to "bet" his career, meaning to spend all his military capital to ensure the ultimate goal of victory forVietnam team.

Psychologically, the Korean coach asked his students to immediately “forget” the recent 2-1 victory and be ready to enter the new match with the mindset that the two teams were tied 0-0 from the start. That means they must strengthen their fighting spirit, absolutely not rely on victory but must enter the battle with high will and steel spirit.

In terms of tactics, a sharp defensive - counter-attack formation will be deployed against a punch-drunk opponent. Xuan Son will play more aggressively as directed by his coach to both attract the opponent's defenders and suddenly strike a decisive blow. The satellites around this striker will have to constantly turn on the "tight defense - quick counter-attack" mode, creating a tight connection, ensuring the formation distance, neutralizing all the opponent's moves... More than ever, at this time, the coach needs to "read" the match thoroughly to arrange human resources, change troops scientifically, creating the highest efficiency from decisions before and during each development.

Hopefully, once again, the Vietnamese team will bravely overcome the "high mountain" of Thailand with the spirit of determination to fight and win, with the consensus of each individual and the collective, with the ultimate sublimation from the Xuan Son effect and the luck from the efforts and perseverance of the "Golden Star Warriors"./.