Comments on Vietnam vs Thailand in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup final

The Vietnamese team has achieved its goal before participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024, which was to reach the final. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are the only team to remain undefeated so far in this year's tournament.

In previous matches, the Korean coach always surprised experts and fans by frequently rotating the squad.

The bright spot in the Vietnamese squad is striker Nguyen Xuan Son. Having only played since the last match of the group stage, the naturalized striker has scored 5 goals and 2 assists after 3 matches. A very impressive number.

Talking to Lao Dong, commentator Quang Tung commented: "In terms of efficiency, the playing style of the Vietnamese team is still correct when in the end, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team had victories. However, looking at the whole picture, the playing style of the Vietnamese team in recent matches has not been good.

Tactically, Quang Hai and his teammates have not yet combined as expected to operate the style of play, and have not yet completed their coordination. On the offensive line, Nguyen Xuan Son needs more combinations. This naturalized striker alone is not enough.

In defense, the players' performance has not brought peace of mind. The number of goals conceded only partly reflects the quality problem. To defend well, the lines need to be closely connected and coordinate flexibly, but the Vietnamese team has not done as expected."

Besides, the Vietnamese team also suffered personnel losses after previous matches when both Van Toan and Ho Tan Tai had to leave the tournament early due to injuries.

Entering the regional tournament final for the fifth time, the Vietnamese team will meet Thailand - a team that has reached the final 10 times and won 7 of those times.

In this year's tournament, although not bringing the strongest squad, "War Elephants" still own the strongest attack with diverse playing ability, high efficiency of the stars. They still have the service of young star Suphanat as well as some Thai players such as Jonathan Khemdee, Patrik Gustavsson...

However, the journey to the final of coach Masatada Ishii and his team also encountered many difficulties. Although they won 4-3 against the Philippines in the semi-finals, Thailand had a difficult match and could only win in the final minutes of extra time.

The fatigue and stress after this series of matches will certainly affect the players' physical strength. This can also become the basis for "the Vietnamese team to be more confident" in the two final matches, according to coach Kim Sang-sik.

The clash between Vietnam and Thailand is considered a "dream" final match for Southeast Asian football because these are two fierce rivals, competing with each other in the region. However, since 2008, Vietnam has only won against Thailand twice, the rest were draws and losses. Therefore, the confrontation with Thailand is always something that makes Vietnamese players excited and even somewhat wary.

"The chances for both teams are quite balanced, but the Vietnamese team still has a bright chance because in this year's tournament, coach Kim Sang-sik has a good main force, many experienced players combined with sharp strikers in many lines.

However, when facing Thailand, the Vietnamese team often carries invisible pressure, which is anxiety from public opinion as well as the psychology of the players themselves.

Hopefully, when the Vietnamese team has the spearhead Xuan Son, the team will improve their spirit and create pressure on the opponent. The Vietnamese team has the advantage of days off and travel schedule, so their spirit is high. Xuan Son and his teammates need to take advantage to solve the first leg of the final, thereby creating a springboard for the second leg away match," commented commentator Quang Tung.

The first leg final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho).