(Dan Tri) - Since the 3-0 victory in the 1998 AFF Cup semi-final at Hang Day Stadium, the Vietnamese team has not won against Thailand at home in the Southeast Asian championship.
The first leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand will take place at 8:00 p.m. tonight (Thursday, January 2) at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). Dan Tri will report the match live.
The story of the past At the 1998 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team surprisingly defeated Thailand 3-0 in the semi-finals. That was also one of the biggest surprises in the history of the Southeast Asian championship. However, what is very remarkable is that after the above victory, the Vietnamese team did not defeat Thailand again in home matches, in official tournaments. 
Will Xuan Son help the Vietnamese team transform against Thailand? (Photo: Thanh Dong).
The last time the Vietnamese team beat the "War Elephants" (the nickname of the Thai team) in the first leg of the AFF Cup final was in 2008. However, at that time, the victory of the team under coach Calisto (Portuguese) took place at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (Thailand). The Vietnamese team won the 2008 tournament, after drawing Thailand 1-1 at home at My Dinh Stadium, we eventually beat our opponent with a total score of 3-2 after two home and away matches. Thailand has a superior head-to-head record compared to the Vietnamese team, that is something that does not need to be mentioned. However, history is only for reference. For example, after 52 years of not beating Thailand in official tournaments, the Philippine team just won against the team from the Land of the Golden Pagoda in the first leg of the semi-finals this year on December 27. So, what is important for the Vietnamese team now is how we change, how much progress we make, to aim to defeat Thailand at home, as well as have an overall victory at the AFF Cup 2024. The story of the present There is another parameter related to history, which is that the Thai team has never won the AFF Cup three times in a row. According to history, if the team from the Land of the Golden Temple won the championship in 2020 and 2022, then this time they cannot win the tournament this year.
The striker duo Xuan Son - Tien Linh is extremely dangerous (Photo: Do Minh Xuan).
That is to say, if we compare history with the present, the Thai team itself may also have psychological problems, not just the Vietnamese team. The problem of both sides, therefore, is only a professional problem. The professional capacity of the two teams will be the deciding factor in the success or failure of the first leg of the semi-final tonight (January 2), at Viet Tri Stadium. The Vietnamese team currently has a very strong striker line, if not the strongest in Southeast Asia, with the duo Xuan Son and Tien Linh who have never appeared in international tournaments before. Each of these players is inherently excellent individually, when they combine together, they are very compatible, leading to excellence as a team. Furthermore, because Tien Linh and Xuan Son have rarely played together since the beginning of the tournament, opponents have very little data to study this striker duo. Xuan Son can be a breath of fresh air in the match between the Vietnamese team and Thailand, changing the balance of this match. 27 years without winning against the Golden Temple team on the field, that is simply a number, not a standard to evaluate the result of the match. The result depends on expertise, and in terms of expertise, even the Thai people do not dare to affirm that they are not afraid of a striker who is both strong and technical like Xuan Son on the Vietnamese team. Besides Xuan Son, there is Tien Linh, behind him are Hoang Duc and Quang Hai to support. Therefore, the Vietnamese team needs to be confident in their own abilities.Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/ky-vong-o-xuan-son-va-cai-dop-gan-30-nam-cua-tuyen-viet-nam-truoc-thai-lan-20250102114817172.htm
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