On the evening of January 5, the Vietnamese team will compete with host Thailand in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final at Rajamangala Stadium. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have an advantage over their opponents after winning 2-1 in the first leg at home.
Thairath newspaper (Thailand) has an article warning the home team about the Vietnam team, especially striker Nguyen Xuan Son.
"The Thai team should be careful with Nguyen Xuan Son, who has the opportunity to make history at this ASEAN Cup. This player has only played 4 matches in this year's tournament, playing from the last match of the group stage between the Vietnamese team and Myanmar, but has scored 7 goals and is leading the list of top scorers.
He has the opportunity to become the first striker of Vietnamese football to exclusively win the above title. In 2022, Nguyen Tien Linh won the title of top scorer but that year the Vietnamese striker had to share the title with Teerasil Dangda (Thailand).
In addition, Nguyen Xuan Son can equal the record for most goals scored in a tournament of the ASEAN Cup 2024. This record is currently held by the legend Noh Alam Shah (Singapore). At the ASEAN Cup 2007, Noh Alam Shah scored 10 goals.
Xuan Son was the one who scored 2 goals against Thailand in the first leg of the final. Therefore, once again, the Thai team needs to be wary of this striker," Thairath newspaper reported in detail.
Southeast Asian media also paid special attention to the upcoming match and made comments about the championship of this year's tournament.
Astroawani (Malaysia) newspaper affirmed: "The ASEAN Cup championship is just one step away from the Vietnamese team".
Another Malaysian newspaper, Kosmo, commented: "The Vietnamese team showed their class when they won 2-1 against Thailand in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final. They are getting closer and closer to winning the tournament. The defending champion Thailand will have to do everything to defend the title in the rematch in Bangkok."
Meanwhile, The Straits Times (Singapore) emphasized that the Vietnamese team has an advantage in the final match of the 2024 ASEAN Cup after defeating Thailand with a score of 2-1 at home.
"The hero of the Vietnamese team is once again Rafaelson (Nguyen Xuan Son). The 27-year-old striker is leading the tournament's scoring list with 7 goals. Xuan Son's double in the second half of the first leg promises to make the return leg at Rajamangala Stadium more exciting," the author of the article in The Straits Times wrote.
The second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. today (January 5).
