On the afternoon of December 16, after a flight of more than 3 hours from Hanoi, the Vietnamese team arrived in Manila to prepare for the match against the Philippines team in Group B of the 2024 Southeast Asian Football Championship (ASEAN Cup).
Although quite tired due to the intense match with Indonesia and having to leave early in the morning, Quang Hai and his teammates still maintained positive spirit and energy.
At Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Vietnamese team received a warm welcome from the Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines - Mr. Lai Thai Binh, and embassy staff.
The Ambassador sent his congratulations and encouragement to the whole team, expressing his belief that the team will continue to achieve the best results in the next match.
On behalf of the coaching staff and team members, Mr. Tran Anh Tu - Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation and Head of the Vietnamese team delegation at the tournament thanked Ambassador Lai Thai Binh and the Embassy staff for welcoming the team at the airport and enthusiastically supporting the team.
Mr. Tran Anh Tu affirmed that the team will continue to try their best to complete the set goals in the next match.
The match between Vietnam and the Philippines will take place at 9:00 p.m. local time on December 18 (8:00 p.m. Vietnam time). With the current situation, if Vietnam wins against the home team, it will soon enter the semi-finals as the group leader.
Because coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have 9 points after 3 matches, certainly more than Indonesia (only 4 points and only 1 match left), Philippines, Laos (2 points and 1 match left), Myanmar (maximum 7 points in total if they win both remaining matches).
According to the plan, after settling in Manila, Quang Hai and his teammates will enter the first training session at Rizal Memorial Stadium that same evening. This stadium is known as the main football venue at the 2019 SEA Games and is also where the Vietnam U22 team won the gold medal after defeating Indonesia 3-0 in the final match.
