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Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Tien Linh and Nguyen Van Vi all said that despite facing difficulties in the first half against Laos, the Vietnamese team knew how to overcome them to have a good start at the ASEAN Cup 2024.
On the evening of December 9, for the first time since the 2008 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team failed to score against the Lao team in the first half. The second half scenario was similar, with Vietnam scoring 4 goals thanks to Nguyen Hai Long (58'), Nguyen Tien Linh (63'), Nguyen Van Toan (69') and Nguyen Van Vi (82').
The home team scored an honorary goal in the 5th minute of injury time thanks to Bounphachan Bounkong from the penalty spot, setting the score at 4-1.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team's thirst for victory has been resolved, after losing 1-3 to Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, losing 0-3 to Russia and 1-2 to Thailand in a series of friendly matches in September, then drawing 1-1 with India in October.
"I think the first match was a bit difficult because we haven't won in a while," Van Toan said after the match on the evening of December 9. "This result is acceptable for the whole team."
Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Vi said: "The first match was very difficult but the victory helped the team relieve a lot of pressure. We have to try harder in the next matches."
According to Tien Linh, this difficulty was part of the team's calculations, because Laos improved when they drew 1-1 with Thailand in a friendly match in November. The opponent was playing at home - with a bad pitch, making Vietnam need more time to adapt.
"The first half was very difficult for the whole team because of the pitch," said the striker born in 1997. "The pitch did not allow the players to touch the ball at their best, but in the second half the coach adjusted to help the team play better."
Striker Tien Linh has scored 22 goals for Vietnam, including 10 goals at the ASEAN Cup after 4 tournaments. He is 5 goals behind Le Cong Vinh's record and 15 goals behind Thai striker Teerasil Dangda's tournament record.
Meanwhile, Van Toan scored his first goal for the national team in 2024, which was also his 8th goal in 65 matches. Nguyen Van Vi continued his rise from Nam Dinh to score his first goal for the national team in his second match.
Both did not attend the training camp in Korea due to their participation in the AFC Champions League Two with their clubs. Both were not even included in the September and October training camp due to injuries or not being in coach Kim Sang-sik's plans.
When he joined the training camp, Van Vi said that the head coach encouraged him to be confident and comfortable playing football. Van Toan believes that he will gain more confidence with a goal after a long period of injury.
Vietnam will return home this afternoon, December 10, and have five days to prepare for the second match against Indonesia at Viet Tri Stadium. The opponent just beat Myanmar 1-0 and will return home to face Laos on December 12, before going to Vietnam.
Van Toan said: "I haven't seen Indonesia's opening match yet, but meeting them now is also difficult. The whole team will try harder because the next match is at home."
Tien Linh told the team to maintain their current good spirit to defeat Indonesia. Meanwhile, Van Vi affirmed that he will devote 100% of his strength to help the team achieve its highest goal.
TB (summary)