In the 62nd minute of the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final, Vietnam goalkeeper Dinh Trieu threw the ball out of bounds so that the medical team could enter the field to take care of Hoang Duc. When the referee gave Thailand the right to throw the ball in, all of Vietnam's defense seemed to think that their opponents would return the ball.
However, the home team took advantage of that opening moment, the ball was passed to Supachok's feet and the "War Elephants" striker had a shot into the far corner of Vietnam's goal that goalkeeper Dinh Trieu could not block.
After scoring that goal, Supachok and some Thai players celebrated explosively because the total score after two matches was 3-3. Meanwhile, captain Duy Manh and many Vietnamese players argued with the referee for a long time. After that, the main referee asked for advice from the VAR room to make a decision. In the end, the goal was still recognized for Thailand because it was legal.
"In that situation, Supachok should have returned the ball to Vietnam but he deliberately shot. We know that a goal is what everyone needs at that time but scoring goals like that is very ugly.
Indeed, just a few minutes later, the Thais were punished for their own mistake. Hai Long's precise goal in the last minute sank all the hopes of the home team.
Up to now, Vietnam has never won against Thailand in both matches. Most recently, in the two previous AFF Cups, we drew 1 match against Thailand. This is a very magical match, it will remain in the minds of fans for a long time. The previous two championships, we were crowned at home, but this time it was on the opponent's field" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
Despite having a 2-1 advantage in the first leg at Viet Tri Stadium, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team still played an equal offensive game with Thailand right at Rajamangala Stadium. That bravery multiplied the pride of every Vietnamese fan. As Thanh Chung said, Vietnamese players are now only afraid of not playing at their best, not afraid of the Thais like before.
"I also thought that in this match, Vietnam would play safely and confidently, but Mr. Kim and his team did the opposite. We played strongly and boldly right on the opponent's field. Maybe the coaching staff felt that Thailand's physical strength was a problem.
By the time we equalized 2-2, the Thai players seemed to be exhausted. I think Mr. Kim is similar to his predecessor Park Hang-seo in that he always studies his opponents very carefully. Mr. Kim knows that Thailand's defense system is very bad this time. The same names are still there but their performance is not as good as before.
Vietnam had a big disadvantage when Xuan Son left the field early due to injury, but the whole team played with great determination" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
After just over half a year in charge of the Vietnamese national team, coach Kim Sang-sik has won his first official championship. In the past, although there were many coaches who had worked with the national team, no one was able to quickly stabilize the team and achieve success as early as the Korean captain. From here, Vietnamese fans can expect Mr. Kim to build a new dynasty with Vietnamese football as glorious as what Mr. Park has done.
"After this tournament, we will add good players and maybe a few naturalized players. In the 2024 ASEAN Cup championship squad, even the oldest players cannot say they have passed the other side of their careers.
After this victory, I hope the Vietnamese team will be more stable in their playing style, adjust to become more mature, thereby creating more pressure" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
