Vietnam faced many difficulties when playing as guests at Jalan Besar Stadium of Singapore. Although rated higher than their opponents, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lost control of the game.
Singapore's possession time was sometimes over 70%. In such a situation, it is not surprising that Vietnam still could not score in the first half.
In fact, it doesn't matter which half a team scores, as long as they win. But if they had dealt with weaker opponents in the first 45 minutes, the Vietnamese team probably wouldn't have had such a hard time.
Even against disciplined Singapore, the Vietnamese team was only waiting to see what Hoang Duc and Xuan Son could do. When Tien Linh entered the field, the pressure on the shoulders of the naturalized striker was reduced.
It is not an exaggeration to say that it only took 180 minutes after 2 matches to realize the new "disease" of the Vietnamese team, which is dependence on Nguyen Xuan Son. In the first 70 minutes of the semi-final match, when being closely marked by Singaporean defenders, Xuan Son had no chance, leading to a deadlock of the Vietnamese team.
Apart from Tien Linh and Xuan Son, the remaining players of the away team still maintain the "habit" of wasting opportunities. A goal will force the opponent to push up and the "Golden Star Warriors" will also be able to calculate more easily, but that is still a distant dream.
In return, coach Kim Sang-sik knows how to optimize what he has in hand. It is difficult to say that the Vietnamese team has had a convincing performance. Stability in playing style has become a luxury for Quang Hai and his teammates. Nguyen Xuan Son has reluctantly become a lonely star.
In the overall picture, the Vietnamese team still has bright spots. First, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, although not playing very well, his reflexes saved the Vietnamese team from at least 2 goals. The expected central defenders such as Duy Manh, Tien Dung, and Thanh Chung all played steadily.
On the positive side, Vietnam is a very difficult opponent to defeat with a solid foundation from home. The tournament has reached the semi-finals and winning the championship is the ultimate goal for the Vietnam team.
After a period of many low notes, Vietnamese football needs a big boost, specifically the title of ASEAN Cup 2024 championship. With new and old people, the Vietnamese team is on a thorny journey.
