The Vietnamese team opens the door to the 2024 AFF Cup final

NASSEMBLY… LONG BALL

The Vietnamese team anticipated difficulties on the artificial turf of Jalan Besar, when the lessons from the 1-1 draw in the group stage with the Philippines were still hot. However, the match against Singapore last night on December 26 showed that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, although they had prepared in advance, were still very difficult to deploy coherent play on a field that was inherently unpredictable in terms of rolling and bouncing. ball.

The Vietnamese team has advocated playing long and high balls to limit risks. Statistics show that in the first 35 minutes, Mr. Kim’s students made… 79 passes, an average of 2.25 passes per minute. The ball rarely rolls, but mainly flies in the air when the center backs and wingers focus on long passes. With Xuan Son on the front line, the Vietnamese team continuously poured the ball into the air for the Brazilian-born striker to make a wall and then released it back to the second line. However, this array of direct attacks does not make it difficult for Singapore. Coach Tsutomu Ogura carefully studied Xuan Son’s movement and coordination to appoint midfielder Lionel Tan with a height of 1.84 m to accompany the ball.

Xuan Son’s only mark in the first half was the situation of flying and hooking the ball against the crossbar in the 20th minute, but that was the ball the striker wearing the number 12 shirt fell into an offside position. As for the rest, Xuan Son’s relationship with satellites such as Vi Hao, Thanh Binh, Quang Hai, and Hoang Duc in the first half is unclear. Host Singapore isolated all passes aimed at Xuan Son. At the same time, Mr. Ogura’s students also defended carefully on both sides, leaving almost no space for Van Khang or Vi Hao.

In the somewhat spontaneous attack of the Vietnamese team, the two central midfielders Quang Hai and Hoang Duc play a very important role. Hoang Duc had some sharp dribbles and pulls the ball, but on a field with unstable bounce, the 1998-born midfielder could not create a good enough connection for the Vietnamese team to control the game. . Similarly, Quang Hai was fiercely approached by his opponent, not even afraid to tackle the ball like a takedown. The Singapore team pressed very hard in the middle, not allowing Vietnamese players to deploy the ball in the middle.

The highlight of Mr. Kim Sang-sik’s student in the first half was that despite little possession of the ball, up to half of the Vietnamese team’s passes were in Singapore’s 1/3 of the defensive field. That is, the Vietnamese team attacks the ball directly, giving priority to bringing the ball to Singapore’s goal as quickly as possible. The Korean coach wants to play simply to reduce the risk of losing the ball and quickly reach the opponent’s penalty area. However, because the Vietnamese team did not push the pace of play and only kept the match at a moderate pace, it did not create enough pressure to score.

TIEN LINJECTION OF KNOT REMOVAL

The Vietnamese team changed the way they played in the second half by passing the ball more short. Edge attacks are also more carefully orchestrated and diverse, instead of just simply crossing the ball. Coach Kim Sang-sik also reinforced the midfield with Ngoc Tan, sending Tien Linh onto the field to have more destinations on long balls. However, the Vietnamese team still plays sporadically when all three lines are not connected. The defensive line cannot deploy the ball, the midfield is stuck under pressure and the offensive line can only rely on Xuan Son’s ability to “self-play”.

The Vietnamese team had a chance to score, typically with a long pass from home field that put Vi Hao in front of the Singapore goalkeeper in the 63rd minute, but the striker of Binh Duong Club missed.

After that, there were turbulent minutes for the Vietnamese defense with intense pressure from Singapore. The Vietnamese defense was confused in situations where they chose the right spot to clear the ball, creating conditions for Shawal Anuar and his teammates to score continuously. But the talent of goalkeeper Dinh Trieu helped the Vietnamese team stand firm. Feeling sorry for Xuan Son in the last minutes when his masterpiece was rejected by the referee. The 27-year-old striker caught the ball and scored a beautiful shot into Singapore’s net, but after listening to VAR’s consultation, referee Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea) decided to say no.

However, luck is no longer on Singapore’s side. In the last minute of extra time, the Singapore goalkeeper and defender awkwardly made a mistake when pressured by Xuan Son, leading to the ball touching their hands. At the 11 meter mark, Tien Linh coolly finished successfully, giving the Vietnamese team a clear advantage. And then at minute 90+14, Xuan Son put an end to the match with a goal that doubled the gap, helping Vietnam win 2-0 in the end. The opportunity to reach the final is very clear.

The Vietnamese team will return home today to prepare for the Singapore rematch at 8 p.m. on December 29 at Viet Tri Stadium.