Goal of victory
The Vietnamese team has a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals, but the nature of the rematch with Malaysia does not become bland because of that. The 0-4 defeat in the first leg put great pressure on coach Kim Sang-sik. Even, if not thanks to achievements in youth football, it is difficult to predict what will happen to the Korean coach.
Returning to the rematch at Thien Truong Stadium, the Vietnamese team now has more advantages when welcoming Nguyen Xuan Son back after injury and Do Hoang Hen appearing like a new breeze.
Conversely, the loss of 7 naturalized stars has significantly affected Malaysia's strength. Coach Peter Cklamovski still has many other naturalized players, but it is difficult to compare with the group of strikers banned from playing.
In such circumstances, fans have the right to demand that the Vietnamese team win the match to reclaim the old debt, even if it is a big and convincing victory. Anyway, being more comfortable about participating in the Asian Cup is enough to help players think about more creative balls.
This is also the time when Quang Hai and his teammates show the necessary bravery. The professional preparation of the Vietnamese team is not bad, as evidenced by the performance against Bangladesh. The opponent is not strong but it should be noted that the Vietnamese team's way of winning is convincing enough.
Is Xuan Son needed?
Nguyen Xuan Son is mentioned more when Do Hoang Hen is on the call-up list of the Vietnamese national team. They once succeeded together in the colors of Binh Dinh and Nam Dinh clubs, and are also close friends and in sync in many combinations.
However, this is the time when the performance of the two stars is somewhat opposite. Hoang Hen gradually regained his image with Hanoi FC. He played excitedly in the first minutes of contributing to the Vietnamese national team.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Xuan Son is struggling with his physical condition. Fans do not criticize him, but most people fear Xuan Son will be affected by his somewhat... weight gain. After the rather deadlocked match against Bangladesh, the 29-year-old striker affirmed that "just scoring goals will be okay".
Xuan Son's assessment is not wrong but not enough. He still has to perform better to be worthy of his star status. At least, at this time, the Vietnamese team can still defeat Malaysia without Xuan Son starting. The mobility of Hoang Hen, Hai Long and Tuan Hai is enough.
But, as long as the Vietnamese team falls into a deadlock, coach Kim Sang-sik will definitely look to the bench. One question will be repeated: "Will the Vietnamese team win without Son?".
The match between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at 7:00 PM today (March 31st) at Thien Truong Stadium.
