The draw with the Philippines thanks to Doan Ngoc Tan's goal in the 7th minute of injury time could not cover up the many shortcomings of the Vietnamese team.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team played well, not too bad but not excellent. The biggest weakness that the players revealed was their ability to solve the match and the shining moments of the stars.
The match against Myanmar at home on December 21 will mark a remarkable milestone for the Vietnamese team. After 14 years, Nguyen Xuan Son has become the next naturalized player to play for the national team. He has been sitting in the stands waiting for his chance throughout the last 3 matches with great desire.
Sharing with Lao Dong, former Vietnamese player - Nguyen Tuan Phong commented: "Up to now, the Vietnamese team has not been able to demonstrate the cohesive play as desired. In my opinion, Mr. Kim Sang-sik lacks people to solve situations and the Vietnamese team will really need Nguyen Xuan Son.
He is the number 1 star of V.League, can do many things. Xuan Son is naturalized from Brazil, his level is more certain, even far better than domestic strikers. With Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team can still win the ASEAN Cup 2024".
In the past 3 matches, the Vietnamese team could not score in the first half and always faced many difficulties in the next 45 minutes, when the opponents focused on defense with a deep formation. In fact, if they only scored once in the first half, everything would be easier for the "Golden Star Warriors".
Mr. Tuan Phong analyzed: “The worrying thing is that in the past 3 matches, the Vietnamese team has not been able to solve the match in the first half even though the opponent is weaker. Luckily, we still achieved good results. In fact, the Vietnamese team did not start the match very well, but they always played better in the second half. This is a very difficult problem. Anyway, having 7 points in 3 matches is good.”
This season, Nguyen Xuan Son has scored 14 goals in all competitions for Nam Dinh. Last season, he scored 31 goals in V.League alone. It is rare for the Vietnamese team to have a naturalized player at the peak of his form.
In each match, the Vietnamese team has a... "hero". At the Lao national stadium, Hai Long took on the responsibility, Nguyen Quang Hai left his mark against Indonesia and Doan Ngoc Tan brought the Vietnamese team "from the abyss back to earth".
However, the Vietnamese team still needs a stable player who can guarantee goal output and Xuan Son will probably be the answer.
