Vietnam beat Philippines, enter semi-finals early like Thailand?

The Pass Named Philippines

It is not difficult to point out the "flaws" in the past two matches of the Vietnamese team. In defense, coach Kim Sang-sik's students can maintain a good formation distance when defending deep in their home field, but they expose huge gaps every time they push up to impose the game. The midfield lacks smoothness, when the midfielders, although playing energetically, do not have the ability to pass and coordinate to develop the ball coherently. Meanwhile, the attack lacks solutions to approach the goal.

However, the important thing is that the Vietnamese team still won. 6 points after 2 matches, combined with the consecutive stumbles of Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar, have opened the door to the semi-finals for the Vietnamese team. If they continue to win against the Philippines, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will enter the semi-finals one round early with the top spot. Even when coach Park Hang-seo was in charge, the Vietnamese team had been unbeaten for 3 consecutive group stage matches, but never had the opportunity to secure the top spot so early.

Vietnam team determined to win Philippines

The Philippines team, defeated by Quang Hai and his teammates in the last 5 matches. After the success at the AFF Cup 2018 (entering the semi-finals) with the naturalization policy, the Philippines has returned to earth. Weak internal strength (deteriorated national championship and youth team) and the strategy of changing coaches like... changing shirts have made the team nicknamed "The Azkals" just a shadow of the past. In the last 14 matches, the Philippines has only won 1. Whether playing at home or away, Santiago Rublico and his teammates are struggling.

But that doesn't mean the Vietnamese team will easily defeat the Philippines. Pay attention to the details: in the group stage of the last 3 AFF Cups, Vietnam always had a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, in which the draw always appeared in the 3rd match of Quang Hai and his teammates (draw with Myanmar in 2018, draw with Indonesia in 2021, draw with Singapore in 2022). What's special about these matches? The common point is that in these matches, the Vietnamese team always has to play away. The 3rd match is also always in the middle of the intense competition schedule in the group stage, making the players lethargic and unable to show good form.

History seems to be repeating itself in the match against the Philippines, when the players had to travel in a hurry and only had 1 full day to prepare. Coach Kim Sang-sik had to reduce the training volume and calculate the rotation plan to reduce the load on the pillars. The main players in the past 2 matches will be calculated to rest, making room for supporting actors such as Vi Hao, Van Toan, Thanh Long, Tuan Hai... Therefore, the match against the Philippines may bring the Vietnamese team another "hard battle".

In the last 2 victories against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team also struggled, having to wait until the last minute to secure 3 points. The home team at Rizal Memorial Stadium has good physique and fitness, and an annoying cross-and-head style of play. However, the Philippines' weakness is their ability to maintain concentration and defensive discipline. By exploiting this weakness of their opponents, the Vietnamese team will win.

It may not be a big and beautiful victory, but that's okay. What matters is the 3 points and an early ticket to the semi-finals!

In the remaining match taking place at 5:30 p.m., Myanmar will return home to welcome Laos. The Laos team is making a strong impression by holding both Indonesia and the Philippines to a draw. In theory, Laos still has a chance to continue. If they defeat Myanmar, coach Ha Hyeok-jun and his team will temporarily rise to second place. ..

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-aff-cup-2024-hom-nay-viet-nam-thang-philippines-som-vao-ban-ket-nhu-thai-lan-185241217211628222.htm