Take small steps and the team will succeed.
Was the 2-0 victory of the Vietnamese team over Singapore in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-finals really pleasing to the eye? The answer is no. Before Tien Linh and Xuan Son scored in the long extra time, coach Kim Sang-sik's students had gone through 90 "torturous" minutes against Singapore. On the Jalan Besar artificial turf, the Vietnamese team could not control the ball smoothly, had no attacking rhythm. Only 30% of the ball possession time, an average of only 2 passes per minute... proved that Xuan Son and his teammates had the most dominant match since the beginning of the tournament.
The Vietnamese team (right) needs to be careful in the rematch on December 29.
The Vietnamese team had to play long balls, with many lucky passes failing to get past Singapore's tall defense. The opening goal for Vietnam also came from a situation where the opponent was confused and made a mistake, rather than a deliberate attack. Overall, over 100 minutes on Jalan Besar, the Vietnamese team's playing philosophy had no specific shape.
Fans waited all night in the cold to buy tickets for the second leg of the Vietnam - Singapore semi-final
However, overcoming all those obstacles, the Vietnamese team still won 2-0. Remember in the group stage, the championship candidate Thailand, although praised for their football class, only won Singapore by 2 goals, and the decisive goal also came in the last seconds (the Vietnamese team even won a more difficult match). Every victory has the same value in two aspects: results and belief. And speaking of belief, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have taken a very long step after overcoming difficulties at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Crowds of spectators jostle to buy tickets for the second leg of the semi-final in Viet Tri
Photo: Ngoc Linh
The Vietnamese team has passed the stage where winning is... a given. The reform of the force and change in the way of playing football from the beginning of 2023 to the end of 2024 has pushed the team into crisis. There was a time when Hoang Duc and his teammates only won 1 out of 12 matches, continuously failing in core tournaments such as the 2023 Asian Cup or the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Asking the Vietnamese team to play well and win at this time is impossible, because the time to practice and prepare between matches is very limited. When the schedule is so tight, they have to think about the next match before finishing this match, coach Kim Sang-sik and his students have done their best.
Hope the team will explode
Every victory at this time brings a drop of faith, and each drop is equally precious. On the night the Vietnamese team defeated Singapore away, fans crowded together in Viet Tri (Phu Tho) to own tickets to the stadium. Long lines of spectators waiting to buy tickets, or the fiery stands at Viet Tri Stadium, although not large but filled with emotion... are responses to the efforts of the Vietnamese team, sending a message to coach Kim Sang-sik and his team: as long as the players try, the fans will definitely not turn their backs.
CANNOT BE SUBJECTIVE
The Vietnamese team has one foot in the final with a 2-goal away win, but coach Kim and his team cannot be complacent. 10 years ago, the Vietnamese team also won away in the first leg against Malaysia, but when returning home, a series of mistakes caused the team coached by Toshiya Miura to a painful 2-4 loss, thus missing out on a ticket to the final.
The Vietnamese team has passed the time of falling because of silly mistakes. However, every historical lesson has its own value. Facing the Vietnamese team on December 29 is an opponent named Singapore, who has nothing to lose. In a corner, Singapore once caused a shock when they held the Chinese team (2026 World Cup qualifiers) to a draw while playing above them, or scored 2 quick goals against Thailand in the group stage of the 2024 AFF Cup. Singapore's fighting spirit cannot be underestimated. As coach Kim Sang-sik said, "everything is still ahead".
The Vietnamese team needs to strengthen their midfield. In the first leg of the semi-final, Quang Hai and Hoang Duc were defeated by the muscular, fiercely contested midfielders of Singapore. The defense, despite keeping a clean sheet, also revealed many gaps, especially in the judgment of choosing the landing spot. The finishing is also a problem when, apart from Xuan Son and Tien Linh, the Vietnamese strikers lacked coolness.
Of course, it is inevitable that there will be shortcomings in the team, which is still patchwork and plays with the spirit of correcting mistakes that Mr. Kim Sang-sik is building. The Vietnamese team needs to correct every small detail, and more importantly, stabilize their mentality for the rematch. Keep your feet on the ground for the decisive match. Through both glory and hardship, Mr. Kim's experienced team knows what they have to do.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giu-dau-lanh-cho-man-tai-dau-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-se-ha-guc-singapore-tai-viet-tri-185241228000928626.htm
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