The Sore Shoulder and the Warrior Spirit

Locked down, Xuan Son is still very good

As the brightest star of the Vietnamese team with 3 impressive performances against Myanmar and Singapore (first and second leg), perhaps Nguyen Xuan Son has anticipated what will happen in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final against Thailand. He will be closely marked by the Thai central defenders Pansa Hemviboon and Chalermsak Aukkee, even using dirty tricks to take him down. Every pass towards Xuan Son will be closely followed, and when he holds the ball, there will be no less than 2 Thai players rushing in to block him. That is exactly what happened at Viet Tri Stadium last night (January 2), when the Thai team did everything they could to prevent Vietnam's explosive striker from scoring.

Xuan Son (middle) tormented the Thai defense with his all-round play.

Thailand was… half successful. Coach Masatada Ishii’s students defended well, locking down Xuan Son and forcing the Vietnamese striker to retreat to the middle of the field to play. In the context of the connection between Xuan Son and the strikers next to him becoming loose because Vi Hao and Ngoc Quang were not in sync, the Vietnamese team was deadlocked throughout the first half.

However, marking Xuan Son has never been a matter of one half. Before the break, there was concern when the 28-year-old striker fell to the ground, holding his shoulder in pain. The shoulder is very important to the player, because it is a weapon to shield, press and maintain balance. Xuan Son's pain at that time was the sum of many collisions with Thai defenders. And when the number 12 striker's face grimaced, the worst could have happened.

Do n't give up

However, Xuan Son did not give up. He stood up and continued to plow through the second half as if there had never been any collision. Chalermsak's statement "We don't know who Xuan Son is?" was just a pure provocation, because Chalermsak in particular and Thailand in general had carefully studied the Brazilian-born explosive device to neutralize it. However, the away team probably did not expect the Vietnamese striker to be so resilient, determined and stubborn.

Son's memorable memory in the semi-finals, when his opponent tore his shirt

Xuan Son has proven his mettle as the best striker in Southeast Asia at the moment. He made a smart run, then headed the ball powerfully to open the score. Then he sprinted almost half the length of the field and shot with his left foot diagonally into the Thai net. The Vietnamese team had never had a player score 2 goals against Thailand in a match, until Xuan Son appeared.

Thanks to the Brazilian striker, the Vietnamese team can play in the most simple and natural way, but still with the highest efficiency: tight defense, quick counterattacks, passing the ball up for Xuan Son to handle and then... calculate the next step. Playing like that against Thailand, you can understand how much pressure Xuan Son has on his shoulders. But with his painful shoulders, he still overcame it. Just like in the previous match against Singapore, he played so well that the only way for the opponent to stop him was to tear his shirt. The opponent's helplessness and struggle only added to the resilient warrior quality that Xuan Son is instilling in the Vietnamese team.

Rajamangala Stadium on January 5, wait for it. Nguyen Xuan Son and the Vietnam team are coming!

Watch ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 live & in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuan-son-cai-vai-dau-va-tinh-than-chien-binh-185250103001523731.htm