Coach Ishii: ‘Xuan Son is dangerous, scores many goals but Thailand will control him’

Xuan Son through the lens of Thai coach

In the second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-finals, the Thai team won a dramatic 3-1 victory over the Philippines after 120 minutes, thereby winning 4-3 after two series of matches, gaining the right to enter the final against the Vietnamese team. After the match, the Thai Football Federation (FAT) implemented travel plans to Vietnam.

Notably, because they did not book flight tickets in advance and had to have additional recovery sessions, FAT decided to divide the number of troops on two flights to Vietnam on the evening of December 31. According to the sheet Thai Rathbefore going to Vietnam, the Thai team was still facing many problems with the force situation. Among them, two important stars Suphanat Muenta and Teerasak Poeiphimai had to be hospitalized for a health check right after the semi-final match.

On the way to the airport, coach Masatada Ishii shared: “We have a number of injured players. The rest depends on their physical condition. However, I will try my best to prepare so that all players can play. I hope that from now until the final, Thailand will not have any more unfortunate injuries.”

After the semi-final match with the Philippines, coach Masatada Ishii affirmed that he and the Thai players set the goal of winning both finals against the Vietnamese team. When asked again about this issue, the Japanese military leader expressed: “I heard that Vietnam had to postpone the domestic tournament to prepare for the AFF Cup. That’s why they show their seriousness with this tournament. The Vietnamese team played very well in recent matches and they were almost perfect in both defense and attack. Vietnam is a strong team, evenly matched in all three lines and can cause Thailand many difficulties in the final. However, even though they have to be guests in the first leg, Thailand wants to get the best result and win the match. I hope Thai fans will also come to Viet Tri Stadium to cheer for the whole team.”

“After only 3 matches, Xuan Son showed that he is a very dangerous player and can score many goals. Of course, we have carefully analyzed this player. But sometimes, analysis is just a reference, it is not accurate because it depends a lot on reality on the field. Therefore, based on developments, Thailand will come up with reasonable strategies to control Xuan Son,” coach Masatada Ishii shared about Xuan Son.

Not only coach Masatada Ishii, midfielder Jonathan Khemdee also affirmed that Thailand will play their best in the first leg of the final and return home with a victory.

“I want to win against Vietnam. The Thai team comes to Vietnam as guests, but we are not afraid. On the contrary, Thailand wants to attack from the beginning to win. Even, Thailand wants to win. won without conceding any goals,” Jonathan Khemdee emphasized.