After an unlucky performance in the second match, Hai Phong FC really needs a convincing victory to regain confidence. However, the next opponent of the port city team will not allow them to achieve their goal easily. With a winning streak like cutting bamboo, Sabah FC may prevent coach Chu Dinh Nghiem and his team from going deep in the 2023/24 AFC Cup.
Hai Phong FC is determined to win to boost morale after the stumble against Hougang.
Beware of SabahSabah are having a dream start in their first ever participation. After defeating Hougang United, Sabah impressively defeated PSM Makassar. In both matches, the “Rhinoceros” (Sabah FC’s nickname) scored 8 goals. The all-win record of coach Ong Kim Swee’s team has temporarily helped them lead Group H.
The high-performing strikers are the mainstay of the Malaysian representative. The most outstanding player who contributed half of Sabah's goals is striker Darren Lok. Although not of ideal height (1m75), Darren Lok shows excellent ability to play high balls. He often chooses a smart position to receive the pass and then shakes his head to send the ball into a dangerous direction.
Darren Lok (white shirt) is a very formidable striker.
The English-born striker is not the only name that has created trouble for the defense of the Lach Tray team. While Darren Lok is often the one who finishes Sabah's attacks, Indonesian player Saddil Ramdani is the one who "ignites" the situations.
Ramdani is known as a “drill” on the wing, often using his speed and good personal technique to break into the opponent’s siege, before making a favorable pass for his teammates to score. In the match against PSM Makassar alone, the midfielder born in 1999 had a hat-trick of assists, 2 of which were for Darren Lok.
Sabah have a deep squad.
In addition, Sabah has a deep squad of both domestic and foreign players. They have a number of Malaysian players such as Rizal Ghazali, Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin, Dominic Tan. As for foreign players, the Likas team has Cifu (who used to play in the Spanish National Championship), Ko Kwang Min (Korean national player) or Telmo Castanheira (grown up from the FC Porto training center in Portugal).
Hai Phong FC did not have much difficulty in winning against PSM Makassar in the opening match. However, the port city team unexpectedly stumbled against the "underdog" opponent Hougang United. Although they opened the score first, Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem's players played without concentration in the final minutes and paid a heavy price.
The danger of the Hai Phong team comes from the mobility of captain Joseph Mpande, the "left and right" situations of Huu Son, and the strength of Bicou. Having started together in the match against HAGL, it is likely that this trio will continue to appear at Lach Tray Stadium when facing Sabah FC.
Joseph Mpande's return promises to bring strength to Hai Phong FC's attack.
To overcome Sabah, Hai Phong FC needs to accurately execute the tactical plan set out by coach Chu Dinh Nghiem. The Thanh Hoa-born captain wants his players to control the ball firmly before thinking about creating a breakthrough.
The issue that Hai Phong needs to pay the most attention to right now is finding a player capable of controlling the midfield area like Hai Huy before. With a strategist who has the talent to adapt well and knows how to "cut his coat according to his cloth" like Coach Chu Dinh Nghiem, he promises to soon find a solution for his team.
According to the AFC Cup format, among the 3 Southeast Asian groups, only the 3 leading teams and 1 second-placed team with the best record are allowed to participate in the regional semi-finals. Therefore, Hai Phong FC really needs a victory against Sabah to equalize the score with their opponents, continue to nurture the hope of advancing, and at the same time affirm the strength of the Vietnamese representative.
FPT Play is the sole owner of television rights for tournaments under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) system for 4 consecutive years from 2021 to 2024, including the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.
Readers download the FPT Play application and simply register an account to watch the Hai Phong FC - Sabah FC match live, broadcast exclusively on the FPT Play system at 5:00 p.m. tonight, October 25.
Bao Anh
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