Xuan Son, Tien Linh... following in the footsteps of Cong Vinh, Quang Hai

But it was during that incredibly long period of time,Vietnam national teamAt least once, they achieved outstanding results on the home ground of their biggest rival, Thailand. At the 2008 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese national team won the first leg of the final 2-1 away against Thailand and drew 1-1 at Hang Day Stadium to claim the top spot in regional football.

Referring back to the aforementioned crucial data, it's clear that despite the immense difficulty of playing away from home, the Vietnamese national team has successfully "overthrown" the Thais – a concrete example. So, in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 final on January 5th, 2025, with a 2-1 lead, can Coach Kim Sang-sik's team repeat the feat achieved by Coach Calistore's team, adding a third trophy (after the second under Coach Park Hang-seo in 2018) to the glorious history of Vietnamese football?

To achieve a good result in the upcoming difficult and challenging second leg of the final, the Vietnamese team clearly needs to field its strongest squad and fight with the utmost determination until the very last minute, absolutely avoiding any intention of settling for a draw. The host team, Thailand, will naturally also need to field its strongest team and play an overwhelming attacking game to achieve its goal. Up to this point, the entire squad of both teams has been deployed. The tactical strategies of both coaches have been largely revealed. The question is how effectively the players will implement them? Which players will shine, and which will be stifled or neutralized?

In this general context, the Vietnamese team will have to accept playing a defensive-counterattacking style, similar to the first leg of the final. Xuan Son will play as the furthest forward, as the sole striker ready for the counter-attacks that led to the second goal in the first leg. The Thai defense, which had previously boasted about its ability to mark Xuan Son, will strengthen its defense after 90 minutes of "feeling the pinch" on the Viet Tri pitch, to avoid repeating the same mistakes, although that will be extremely difficult against the league's leading scorer with 7 goals in 4 matches.

If Xuan Son maintains his current form and class, the Thais will have to "look up" to the physical strength, dribbling skills, and lethal finishing ability of this naturalized Brazilian striker. Of course, everyone can see that Xuan Son is currently in a state of extreme excitement, so at times he is hasty and lacks precision in his final touches, which he could have done better and more effectively.

But for Xuan Son to have "space to shine," the Vietnamese national team must first and foremost defend solidly and meticulously with a strong physical foundation, ensuring proper team formation and absolutely not allowing any weak link for the opponent to exploit.

The second half of the first leg of the final was a major lesson for the midfield regarding fitness and the ability to neutralize the opponent's highly versatile attacking style. It's quite possible that coach Kim Sang-sik recognized the physical weaknesses of the central defenders and the declining stamina of the midfielders, which led to Thailand's equalizer at the end of the second half. Therefore, the requirement for rational energy management is always crucial for each player throughout the match, including injury time. Furthermore, making appropriate substitutions—for example, Duy Mạnh and Tiến Linh, with their good physique and stamina, could have been safer and more effective if brought on earlier—could have been a more successful approach.

With his long-term planning and practical actions, coach Kim Sang-sik truly demonstrated his skill in rotating the squad appropriately and finding the best lineup for the most important matches. The starting lineup in the first leg of the final is considered the best current lineup of the Vietnamese national team, with the difference being that the reserve players are equally reliable. For example, Nguyen Philip is perfectly capable of starting even though Dinh Trieu is currently being used more. Quang Hai, although coming on in the second half, cannot be said to have not yet returned to his best form. Tien Linh seems to be saving his energy for the difficult second leg of the final ahead…

In the 2024 ASEAN Cup, defending champions Thailand, despite winning all their group stage matches, suffered two consecutive away defeats in the semi-finals and final. This is a sign of instability for a team considered a top contender. Thailand also narrowly avoided defeat in the second leg of the semi-final against the Philippines, and whether they can prove anything in the second leg of the final against Xuan Son and the Golden Star Warriors is a question that is not easy to answer.

Let's recall the match in Thailand 27 years ago to believe that the Vietnamese national team can create a miracle, fulfilling the hopes of countless fans near and far. Back then, there were the heartwarming goals of Cong Vinh and Quang Hai… Will today see the unforgettable goals of "Top Scorer" Xuan Son and Tien Linh?