The Vietnamese team experienced a difficult first half at Rajamangala stadium when Thailand controlled the ball up to 64% and created many dangerous opportunities. In which, Le Giang Patrik had some important saves, especially the situation of saving Yotsakorn's diagonal shot in the 36th minute.
After the match, coach Kim Sang-sik admitted that the Vietnamese team could have conceded many goals if it weren't for the excellence of goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik.
If Patrik hadn't stood in the goal or wasn't the number 1 goalkeeper, perhaps we would have conceded 3 goals. But it was thanks to this presence that the team prevented Thailand from scoring," coach Kim Sang-sik shared.
According to the Korean strategist, Le Giang Patrik had careful preparation under the guidance of goalkeeper coach Lee Won-jae.
We also have coach Lee Won-jae preparing him in every detail to always be ready for the match. Patrik's current performance is very impressive," Mr. Kim said.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also mentioned Lee Won-jae's assessment of Le Giang Patrik's ability, thereby emphasizing the confidence of this goalkeeper.
Coach Lee once joked that even if Ronaldo or Messi came here and shot, Patrik would not hesitate at all. His performance was really excellent and I completely understand why Mr. Lee said that," coach Kim Sang-sik said.
Not only keeping a clean sheet, Le Giang Patrik was also voted the best player of the match. This goalkeeper's performance helped the Vietnamese team stand firm in the first half before changing the situation after halftime.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also explained the reason why the Vietnamese team played erratically in the first 45 minutes.
We have 1 day less rest than the Thai team, just arrived in Thailand for a full day. Perhaps that's why the whole team's form in the first half was quite shaky. Moreover, because this is a final, most of the players are somewhat tense," he said.
After the break, the Vietnamese team played more effectively and scored two goals by Hai Long and Quang Hai. According to coach Kim Sang-sik, the efforts of the players helped the team improve their performance.
However, they tried their best and put all their strength into the second half, thereby proving that we were the best team and showed an impressive performance," coach Kim Sang-sik said.
The 2-0 victory gives the Vietnamese team a great advantage before the second leg at My Dinh. However, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that the team still needs to recover and prepare carefully for the decisive match.
This is only the first leg. We still have the second leg in Vietnam, so we need to recover well and prepare carefully for the next match," Mr. Kim emphasized.
