Thai Newspaper: 'War Elephant' falls at Xuan Son's feet

Thai media admitted that the "War Elephants" lost to the Vietnamese team because of Xuan Son, in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final. On the evening of January 2, the Vietnamese team defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup (AFF Cup) final at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). This was the first time the Vietnamese team had won against Thailand at home in nearly 27 years. This result gave coach Kim Sang Sik and his team a significant advantage in the race for the Southeast Asian championship title.

Thailand could not stop Xuan Son. Photo: SN

After a goalless first half, despite many shots, the Vietnamese team scored two consecutive goals thanks to Xuan Son. The second goal was a masterpiece, when he took the ball from home and then broke away to score. “Thailand team could not keep up with the match and was defeated by Vietnam, hoping for a change in the second leg" , Siam Sport mentioned the defeat of the defending Southeast Asian football champions. Xuan Son was truly the difference in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 semi-final, when the Vietnamese team deployed the ball without any breakthrough ideas. Siam Sport commented: "The Thai team was completely fooled by Xuan Son . Vietnam striker scored 2 goals" . Thailand's leading sports newspaper praised the second goal of the 27-year-old striker, who belongs to Nam Dinh Club. "When the match entered the 73rd minute, Xuan Son took the ball right from Chalermsak Aukkee's feet in the home field, broke into the penalty area before finishing in the far corner to double the score" . According to Siam Sport, Aukkee's correction with a header to shorten the score in the 82nd minute helped Thailand still have hope when entering the second leg at home (8:00 p.m. on January 5). Meanwhile, Thai Rath newspaper commented that the Southeast Asian championship trophy is still open, although Vietnam temporarily leads Thailand 2-1. “Striker Xuan Son scored a brace to help Vietnam defeat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final. The War Elephants still hope to keep the trophy when they return home," wrote Thai Rath. Thai Rath commented: "Xuan Son scored both goals in Vietnam's victory. However, there is still one more match and Thailand has a chance to defend the championship title." Khaosod explained the defeat of the "War Elephants" in another way: "Thailand lost to the Vietnamese team because of a naturalized player. The trophy is still pending in the second leg. Although Thailand played very well in the first half, the "War Elephants" could not stop the power of Xuan Son, a naturalized striker of Brazilian origin." Khaosod newspaper is cautious when looking forward to the second leg, where Thailand is under a lot of pressure: "Without the away goal argument, Vietnam only needs a draw to win the 2024 ASEAN Cup championship."

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bao-thai-lan-voi-chien-thua-viet-nam-vi-xuan-son-asean-cup-2024-aff-cup-2359605.html