At noon on January 1, 2025, defender Pham Xuan Manh was the player representing the Vietnamese team to attend a press conference before the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final against the Thai team.
Sharing in this press conference, the defender born in 1996 said that his personal goal and the whole team's goal is to win against Thailand.
"The Vietnamese team spent 10 days training in Korea very hard and achieved the goal of playing in the final with good results. The Thai team is a strong opponent, we have also faced them for many years. I personally set the goal of going on the field to win. We will listen to the coach's tactics and strategies to have favorable results," Xuan Manh said.
Xuan Manh also shared special instructions from coach Kim Sang-sik in this ASEAN Cup campaign.
He said: "I don't look at the past, just focus on the present and look towards the future. The whole team will play their best under the direction of the coaching staff. The team will try their best to start the new year for better Vietnamese football. Coach Kim Sang-sik told us three things, one is to be champion, two is to be champion and three is also to be champion."
In the second leg of the semi-final against Singapore on December 29, Xuan Manh suffered an injury. However, up to now, Xuan Manh has returned to normal training and can still join the Vietnamese team to compete in the two final matches of the 2024 ASEAN Cup against the Thai team.
The first leg final match between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho province).
