Vietnam National Team - Laos National Team: Not a perfect victory

Vietnam's victory over Laos was predicted, based on the history of confrontation as well as the balance of power. Playing at home with a squad that did not change much compared to the previous match at the ASEAN Cup 2024, Vietnam easily won with a score of 5-0.

In the post-match press conference, coach Kim Sang Sik himself confirmed that there was nothing that made him unsatisfied. That was certainly a sincere compliment from the Korean strategist, because his players quickly resolved the match against an opponent that was rated lower.

Vietnam team easily won against Laos team (Photo: Duc Minh)

The Vietnamese team especially showed their strength from the second line in this match. The two wingers, Truong Tien Anh and Nguyen Van Vi, made a strong impression with their ability to attack and defend, especially Van Vi who scored a double in this match.

Facing an opponent who used a defensive style of play, Coach Kim Sang Sik's players boldly launched long-range shots. Two goals for the Vietnam team came from such situations. In the goal that raised the score to 2-0, Hai Long's shot from close to the 16m50 area hit the crossbar, creating conditions for Van Vi to head the ball into the goal.

Hai Long himself then made a similar shot, the ball hit a Lao player and went into the net. The Vietnamese midfield played very well in this match, constantly applying pressure, as well as having many attacking options to unlock the crowded defense of the Lao team.

Tien Linh has not scored yet despite high expectations (Photo: Duc Minh)

However, this victory was not really perfect when striker Tien Linh could not "fire". The 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball was arranged to play highest on the attack line, and was also given a lot of the ball by his teammates but could not show the necessary sharpness.

Tien Linh himself is expected to be quite high when he is leading the list of top scorers of V-League 2024/2025. However, with strikers like Tien Linh or Dinh Thanh Binh unable to score, the problem of the player playing highest on the attack line is still a problem that needs coach Kim Sang Sik to find a solution.

Source: https://vov.vn/the-thao/dt-viet-nam-dt-lao-chien-thang-chua-hoan-hao-post1163831.vov