Win but more worried than happy

Hai Long and Van Vi scored early in the first half, helping Vietnam take a 2-0 lead. The Cambodian team rose strongly after the break and shortened the score thanks to Bong Samuel's goal, but coach Kim Sang Sik's team still maintained the victory. This was a real test for the Vietnamese team before the match against Laos in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

In the friendly match on March 19 at Go Dau Stadium, the Vietnamese team revealed some problems. Television viewers saw coach Kim Sang Sik's dissatisfied expression many times, especially in the second half. Many people exclaimed: Where is the strength of the AFF Cup champion?

The absence of Xuan Son is a big hole in the attack, while the presence of the 2024 Golden Ball Nguyen Tien Linh, then Tuan Hai, Chau Ngoc Quang and Truong Tien Anh on the field does not improve the situation much. The Vietnamese team did not create much threat to the opponent's defense, while in the second half the away team played better and if lucky they got 1 point.

Tien Linh replaced Tuan Hai, but the Vietnamese strikers failed to take advantage of the opportunities created. Meanwhile, Cambodia's efforts also helped them narrow the gap, after Bong Samuel took advantage of the space to shoot from afar, defeating goalkeeper Dinh Trieu. The high spirits after the equalizer helped Cambodia play better, but they still could not create a surprise, accepting a 1-2 defeat to the home team.

The attacks were not really strong and sharp. It can be affirmed that this was a hard-fought victory for the reigning AFF Cup champion. The information that the Korean coach gained from this dull victory was that the attacking options he tried were not effective. It would be alarming if we met bigger opponents than Cambodia and Laos.

Playing against a team that was considered weaker, and it was a friendly match, coach Kim Sang Sik still used the old squad for the safe option, but the old players who had just fought in the AFF Cup were not in good form due to injury or fatigue in the V.League. Except for the two "stars" Hai Long and Van Vi, famous veterans like Hoang Duc, Quang Hai, Tuan Hai, Tien Linh were still very heavy, but he did not risk letting the young players experience in a friendly match.

Laos is also an opponent of equal level to Cambodia, so the Vietnamese team getting 3 points is in the calculation of Mr. Kim Sang Sik. But the road is still long and after the match against Laos will be Malaysia. This is a heavyweight opponent as they are planning to naturalize a series of players to compete for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals with Vietnam.

After the 2-1 victory over Cambodia, the Vietnamese team has been awarded 2.72 points and has risen to 111th place in the FIFA rankings. This number will increase if coach Kim Sang Sik and his team continue to defeat the Lao team in the next match. The Vietnamese team will face Laos in Group F in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup at 7:30 p.m. on March 25.

Tuan Ngoc