AFF Cup 2024: Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his team can still be eliminated, if…

CMR.’S ROTARY CAMPAIGN KIM

Exactly as predicted by the Newspaper Adolescentdespite being a guest on the artificial turf of Rizal Memorial Stadium in the capital Manila, coach Kim Sang-sik still believes in letting a series of key players rest. The Vietnamese team continued to change nearly half of the starting lineup, with the central defender pair Nguyen Thanh Binh – Viet Anh along with Van Khang, Van Thanh, Ngoc Quang, Dinh Thanh Binh, and Vi Hao starting. This squad is used with the task of breaking the strength of the Philippine opponent, who is rich in physical strength, proactively fighting fiercely, and even provoking to disrupt our playing style. This decision by coach Kim Sang-sik is to help almost every player (except Jackie Chan, third goalkeeper Trung Kien and Xuan Son who are not yet eligible to play) have the opportunity to play. In theory, this calculation seems reasonable when the Philippines only has 2 points (draw with Myanmar and Laos) while losing 0-2 to us in the 2026 World Cup qualifier at Rizal Memorial 1 year ago.

But the first 60 minutes of the match were rough, with the only highlight being Dinh Thanh Binh’s cross-body and cross-angle shot that goalkeeper Patrick pushed away with his fingertips. This was the third consecutive match that the Vietnamese team did not score in the first half, forcing Mr. Kim to send Van Toan and Hoang Duc onto the field in the 48th and 63rd minutes (replacing Quang Hai and Ngoc Quang). Clearly, the Vietnamese team is still having difficulty facing defenses with large numbers of defenders, pressing against them with “double-decker buses”. The specter of failure appeared when substitute Javier Gayoso scored against Nguyen Filip in the 68th minute. This was a situation where the other team had a good shot, but part of our defense was not good at counter-attacking. .

QUET THANG AT VIET TRI

In the remainder of the match, coach Kim Sang-sik was forced to “spend all his capital” by sending Tien Linh, Van Vi, and Tuan Hai onto the field with the goal of scoring at least 1 goal against the highly excited home team. Fortunately, the final efforts helped the Vietnamese team equalize 1-1 thanks to Doan Ngoc Tan in the 90+7 minute. A heartbreaking draw left millions of home fans suffocated. Once again, the Vietnamese team “stumbled”, unable to win in the third group stage match in three consecutive AFF Cup periods. But emotions aside, the Vietnamese team has eliminated the risk of being eliminated from the group stage.

Of course, the race for the top spot in Group B will still be very complicated. In the previous match, Myanmar came back to beat Laos 3-2 to get 4 points, equal to Indonesia. The fact that the Vietnamese team was held to a 1-1 draw at Rizal Memoria made the situation in Group B still tense in the final match with 2 “life and death” matches. Certainly, at Viet Tri Stadium on December 21, Mr. Kim will have to field the strongest squad to ensure first place. Although in theory a draw will help us secure the top spot in Group B. Even the Vietnamese team will still secure first place in the group if they lose 0-1 to Myanmar and Indonesia wins against the Philippines. At that time, all three teams, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia, had 7 points but we were better than the difference. But that is too risky a calculation, because if we lose 0-2 we will be eliminated, in a situation where the team needs to recover after a terrible draw at Rizal Memorial.

Certainly, at home, the Vietnamese team will not be able to calculate a draw but must decide to win against Myanmar to ensure first place in the group and avoid meeting Thailand in the semi-finals. Furthermore, we will have to have a victory to regain momentum after the unsatisfactory results in the Philippines. That is a mandatory calculation if looking at the team’s strength. The positive point is that most of the main squad can rest, not lose physical strength, and avoid penalty cards and injuries. The important thing is that coach Kim Sang-sik must help the Vietnamese team have a positive reaction from this draw, in order to have a convincing performance in the match in Viet Tri City in 2 days.