Coach Ishii: ‘The Vietnamese team is strong, but Thailand will win the classic match’

The Thai team highly appreciated Xuan Son

The Vietnamese team reunites with Thailand in the AFF Cup 2024 final, with the first leg competition taking place at 8:00 p.m. on January 2. While Vietnam convincingly won against Singapore with a score of 5-1, Thailand struggled to overcome the Philippines to enter the final match.

Responding to the press at noon on January 1, coach Masatada Ishii of the Thai team affirmed that his students will try to defeat the Vietnamese team in the final.

“The Thai team lost the first leg of the semi-final against the Philippines, so in the next two matches, we will try to win as expected. However, the Vietnamese team is very strong,” Mr. Ishii analyzed.

The Vietnamese team has never won against Thailand in the AFF Cup for the past 16 years. In all 7 recent meetings, Quang Hai and his teammates drew and lost to the Golden Temple team. In the friendly match in September at My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam opened the scoring thanks to Tien Linh, but then lost 1-2.

But Mr. Ishii commented: “It is impossible to compare the Vietnamese team in September with now. They have improved and changed in the squad. They also own the most important player, Nguyen Xuan Son.”

After landing at Noi Bai International Airport last night, the Thai team members immediately moved to Viet Tri (Phu Tho province) to settle down, before entering the preparation process for the tournament. AFF Cup 2024 final first leg against Vietnam at 8:00 p.m. on January 2.

The Thai team is going through a journey of training, competing and then moving quickly. After winning in the semi-finals on the evening of December 30, coach Masatada Ishii and his team only had this morning to rest and recover, then immediately left for Vietnam. Before the first leg of the final, Thailand only had one full day to practice tactics and adapt to the weather in Phu Tho.

“Not only Suphanat Muenta has problems, but also some players are injured. I will coordinate with the coaching staff to bring the best physical condition to the players,” Mr. Ishii is worried about the player’s physical fitness. defense. After the semi-finals ended, we immediately had to play away. I will try with the whole team to have the best results possible and aim for victory,” Mr. Ishii added.

The Thai and Vietnamese teams have a history spanning three decades of confrontation in Southeast Asian tournaments, but according to coach Ishii, he has not yet experienced the concept of “rivalry” between these two teams because he has only coached Thailand. one year. “Everyone calls this match a classic, so I have high expectations for the atmosphere on the field. I hope the two teams will play well,” the Japanese coach concluded.