Hai Duong

Great opportunity for Vietnam team to 'write history' in Thailand

THE ANH January 5, 2025 11:05

Football fans in Hai Duong have reason to believe that with the strongest squad, the highest fighting spirit, and the victory in the first leg, the Vietnamese team will have a great advantage in 'writing history' in Thailand and winning the AFF Cup for the third time.

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Player Xuan Son is playing very brilliantly, the number 1 hope for the Vietnamese team to defeat the "war elephants" right on Thai soil. Photo: MINH QUYET/VNA

Along with millions of hearts across the country, fans in Hai Duong have just enjoyed a football "feast" with an eye-catching performance by the players of the Vietnamese team against their "arch-rival" Thailand.

That "party" made millions of football fans have a sleepless night to celebrate when the Vietnamese team defeated the Thai team right on their home field after 27 years.

Many football fans in Hai Duong believe that winning the first leg of the final is a huge advantage for the Vietnamese team before entering the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium (Thailand) tonight, January 5.

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Player Hoang Duc from Hai Duong is playing very effectively with precise and delicate passes. Photo: MINH QUYET/VNA

Mr. Hoang Manh Kien, coach of the Hai Duong U13 football team, Hai Duong Province Sports Training, Coaching and Competition Center, said that Xuan Son is a huge advantage for the Vietnamese team when he is playing very brilliantly. With his goal-scoring skills, he can put pressure on the Thai defense without the help of too many teammates. In addition, Xuan Son also moves very widely to attract opponents. The Thais still do not have an effective plan to counter Xuan Son even though coach Masatada Ishii arranged 2 players to follow him, but Xuan Son still scored 2 goals against Thailand in the first leg. Thus, when Xuan Son attracts people, it will create space for Tien Linh or Quang Hai or Vi Hao to score.

Mr. Kien added that the Vietnamese team has many players who can pass long accurately in both the defense and midfield. In particular, player Hoang Duc of Hai Duong is playing very effectively with delicate passes to the front line. With the nature of the second leg match, it is likely that coach Kim will play defensively and wait for counter-attack opportunities. If Thailand quickly pushes up the formation, Vietnam's cross-line passes will create opportunities for Xuan Son to break through.

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The Vietnamese team is playing with great determination and solidarity. Photo: MINH QUYET/VNA

Teacher Nguyen Hung Hoang, physical education teacher at Cong Lac Primary School (Tu Ky), coach of the Gia Bao Hai Duong U9 team, which just won the 2024 National U9 Football Championship, said that the Vietnamese team has many advantages. The Thai team faced many difficulties when some key players were seriously injured and could not compete. The Thai team also just returned to Bangkok on the evening of January 3 and had only one training session to prepare for the rematch with the Vietnamese team in the second leg of the final.

“Despite having naturalized players, the Vietnamese team is playing very unitedly and following combat discipline. In particular, we have players with very high performance such as Xuan Son, Hoang Duc, Thanh Chung, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu, Tien Linh, Quang Hai. These are all the elite of Vietnamese football at the moment. They are eager to defeat the Thais right on Thai soil. Therefore, this is the perfect time for us to defeat the reigning AFF Cup champions right on their home field. I think the score will be a 1-1 draw in the second leg,” said coach Hoang.

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Fans in Hai Duong will continue to cheer enthusiastically and fuel the Vietnamese team.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phong (49 years old) in Ngoc Chau ward (Hai Duong city), a football fan, said that the Vietnamese team still maintained its strength after the first leg of the final. The victory in the first leg was not only a turning point in the score but also created a huge mental boost for coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. The team's players are playing with very high spirit, this is an advantage. In the second leg of the final, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team only need to draw away from home to be crowned champions of the AFF Cup 2024. However, a 2-1 victory is quite a fragile result. With the advantage at home, Thailand can completely turn the tables. "But I believe that Vietnam will beat Thailand with a score of 2-1," said Mr. Phong.

Speaking by phone, Ms. Hoang Thi Thoa in Hong Chau Street (Hai Duong City), mother of player Hoang Duc, said she is flying to Thailand to cheer for her son. Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium will certainly be full in the second leg of the final tonight for them to cheer for their home team. However, the family always encourages Hoang Duc to be in the most comfortable spirit. The players have nothing to fear when they always have their families by their side, millions of Vietnamese hearts cheering from home.

“I think my son will be on the field from the first half and hopefully he can score in this match. I believe striker Nguyen Xuan Son will continue to score. Vietnam will have a 2-1 victory over Thailand to lift the championship trophy at the ASEAN Cup for the third time,” said Ms. Thoa.

Hai Duong fans always give their all, cheering enthusiastically for the Vietnamese team throughout the tournament. Even in the first leg of the final, many fans had a sleepless night to rush out onto the streets to celebrate the victory.

To meet the needs of football fans in Hai Duong, the Hai Duong City Center for Culture, Sports and Communications will organize a live broadcast on a nearly 800-inch LED screen at the walking street and Bach Dang night market (Hai Duong City). This will be a promising place for many fans to gather to watch and cheer for the Vietnam team in general and the players from Hai Duong in particular.

The second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. tonight at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (Thailand). The match will be updated on Hai Duong Electronic Newspaper and the newspaper's Fanpage at:https://www.facebook.com/BaoHaiDuongFB.

Thailand has won the Southeast Asian Championship 7 times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022), out of a total of 10 finals. However, the “War Elephants” have never won the regional championship 3 times in a row.

The Vietnamese team won the Southeast Asian championship twice (2008 and 2018), out of a total of 4 appearances in the final (1998, 2008, 2018 and 2022).

In the last 5 meetings, Thailand won 2 matches, Vietnam won 1, and drew 2.

THE ANH
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Great opportunity for Vietnam team to 'write history' in Thailand