Before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final against Malaysia, center-back Nguyen Thanh Chung said that the Vietnamese team is actively studying opponents, and at the same time preparing professional plans to aim for the goal of defending the championship.
Answering the media after the afternoon training session on August 10, Thanh Chung said that the players actively learned about the opponent, while the coaching staff conducted video analysis and organized professional meetings.
Up to now, each of us has made certain preparations on how to handle each situation. The coaching staff will also dissect tapes and organize meetings to help the whole team prepare best for the match," Thanh Chung shared.
The Vietnamese team won the first place in Group A and will meet Malaysia, the second team in Group B, in the semi-finals. Despite having a positive head-to-head record against Malaysia for many years, Thanh Chung believes that these statistics are not a basis for the team to be subjective.
For myself, when the team has set the highest goal, any opponent is the same. We always have absolute respect for the opponent and try our best to successfully defend the championship," the Vietnamese national team defender emphasized.
According to Thanh Chung, football always hides unpredictable developments and results are only determined after 90 minutes of play. Therefore, concentration and fighting spirit are important factors for the Vietnamese team.
In football, nothing can be 100% predicted. The important thing is that the whole team always maintains the highest spirit and concentration to aim for the set goals," Thanh Chung said.
Looking back at the goal conceded in the match against Cambodia in the last round of the group stage, Thanh Chung admitted that it was a situation where the whole team was somewhat distracted and needed to learn from experience before important matches.
No one wanted to concede a goal. That was a situation where our system was somewhat distracted. But looking back at the whole journey, the important thing is that the individuals together formed a team and the highest goal of the team was still achieved," Thanh Chung said.
This center-back also spoke out to defend captain Nguyen Quang Hai against pressure and criticism in the past time. Thanh Chung believes that high expectations are often associated with players who play an important role in the national team.
Quang Hai is a player that we ourselves as well as the coaching staff always recognize. In a large team, there will be players who cannot avoid being criticized, but that is also common for big players. I believe Quang Hai as well as any player will overcome it. Those negative words almost do not affect us," Thanh Chung affirmed.
Thanh Chung said that coach Kim Sang-sik regularly exchanges with players throughout the playing process, both before and after each match, regardless of the result.
Regarding the pressure from Malaysian fans in the first leg semi-final away from home, the Vietnamese national team defender said that this is a familiar challenge in important matches.
We have gone through many matches and also faced many different types of pressure. Each person will have their own way of preparing, but the whole team will equip themselves with what is necessary to enter the match with the highest concentration," Thanh Chung said.
According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will continue to train at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center before departing for Malaysia on August 13. The team is expected to have 2 more training sessions in Kuala Lumpur to complete the preparation process for the first leg semi-final match with the host Malaysia expected to take place on August 16.
