Thailand became the first team to reach the semi-finals of the ASEAN Cup (formerly known as the AFF Cup) 2024 after a 4-2 victory over Singapore on December 17.
With what they have shown throughout the tournament, especially the comeback win against Singapore, Thailand has shown why they are the number 1 football team in Southeast Asia.
Coach Masatada Ishii's team started this year's tournament with a resounding 10-0 victory over Timor Leste. They then went on to beat Malaysia 1-0 before coming from behind to win 4-2 against Singapore.
Although they did not bring their strongest squad to the ASEAN Cup 2024, with many key players not allowed by their clubs to return to play for the national team, or some key players absent, Thailand's "second team" still showed impressive play.
Throughout the past matches, the Thai team has shown a high level of ability to organize attacks. Most of the team's goals come from players moving without the ball, breaking the offside trap and passing behind the opponent's defense to exploit the space. Everything is done very skillfully.
In particular, the ability to overcome weaknesses and change the game situation of coach Ishii and his team is highly appreciated. In the match against Singapore, the Japanese coach launched a starting lineup with many uncertainties, especially in defense.
However, Mr. Ishii soon realized the problem when the Thai team conceded 2 goals. The personnel changes helped the "War Elephants" turn the game around. This team focused on attacking strongly on the right wing, where all 3 goals in the second half originated.
They also showed their fighting spirit, tenacity and determination, especially when they were cornered when the opponent had two beautiful masterpieces from Faris Ramli and Shawal Anuar.
15 goals, 3 wins and a confident style of play are the ways that Thailand have convincingly advanced to the semi-finals. This is certainly a confirmation to other teams that they are a strong candidate for the championship of this year's tournament.
However, if they want to realize their championship goal, coach Ishii's team must overcome other strong teams, including the Vietnamese team. The "Golden Star Warriors" defeated Laos (4-1), Indonesia (1-0) and drew with the Philippines (1-1).
With this result, coach Kim Sang-sik is still leading Group B with 7 points after 3 matches, achieving a goal difference of +4. However, the Vietnamese team is still not sure to get a ticket to the semi-finals.
Except for Laos, which was officially eliminated due to only gaining 2 points after 4 matches, the remaining teams still have a chance to advance. Indonesia and Myanmar both have 4 points, while the Philippines has 3 points, and all teams have 1 match left to play.
This creates an exciting competition in the final match of Group B - ASEAN Cup 2024.
With the current situation, both Vietnam and Thailand are highly rated in this year's tournament. If they continue, with a better mental state and a strengthened squad, the Vietnamese team can be confident when facing the Thai team.
Vietnam team enters the semi-finals in the following cases:
* First place
To qualify for the next round as group winners, Vietnam needs a draw or a win against Myanmar in the final round. Then, the team will have 8-10 points, while Indonesia (currently ranked second in the group) can only get a maximum of 7 points if they win against the Philippines.
If they cannot defeat Myanmar, the Vietnamese team is only allowed to lose by 1 goal and must score against Myanmar (lose 1-2, 2-3, 3-4...) to qualify for the semi-finals as group winners.
In the remaining case, if Vietnam loses 0-1 to Myanmar, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need to wait for Indonesia to beat the Philippines with a difference of no more than 2 goals (2-1, 2-0, 3-1...).
* Second place
In case Vietnam loses 0-1 to Myanmar in the last round and Indonesia wins the Philippines with a difference of 3 goals or more (3-0, 4-1, 4-0...), Quang Hai and his teammates will continue with the second place in Group B.
