Indonesian newspaper: ‘Vietnam’s victory over Thailand in the first leg of the final is the key to the championship’

7/8 teams that won the first leg became champions

The encounter between Vietnam and Thailand is considered the “dream” final of the 2024 AFF Cup. Since 1995, the Vietnam team has met Thailand 29 times. “Golden Star Warriors” won 3 wins, drew 8 and lost 19 matches. Including 2024, this is the third time the Vietnamese team has faced Thailand in the final of an AFF Cup. In the two previous meetings (2008 and 2022), the Vietnamese team won 1 (2008) and lost 1 (2022).

Despite having a poor record against Thailand, the Vietnamese team is in good form in the AFF Cup 2024. Coach Kim Sang-sik’s team is undefeated (5 wins, 1 draw) and has good defense. best in the tournament (only conceding 3 goals). In addition, in the first leg of the final, the Vietnamese team will play at Viet Tri’s home field (Phu Tho). CNN Indonesia According to the assessment, the above facilities will help the Vietnamese team have many advantages over Thailand.

“This rematch is not only a battle between the two strongest teams in the region, but also a competition between two different football styles. The disciplined and strict Vietnamese team faced off against the flexibility and creativity of Thailand.

On the way to the final, Vietnam appeared more impressive than Thailand. In the group stage, Vietnam only had one draw against the Philippines. They then proved strong in the semi-finals, winning with a final score of 5-1 against Singapore. Meanwhile, Thailand suffered a defeat in the battle to qualify for the final with the Philippines. They even had to play extra time. In terms of performance, team quality as well as spirit, the Vietnamese team is being evaluated slightly better than Thailand. CNN Indonesia comment.

The newspaper of the land of thousands of islands predicts that if they win in the first leg, the Vietnamese team will likely become the champion of the 2024 AFF Cup.

Sheet CNN Indonesia emphasized: “Since the AFF Cup applied the home and away final format (2004), the majority of teams that win the first leg will become champions: 7/8 teams have done this. . The only exception occurred in the 2016 AFF Cup final. At that time, the Indonesian team beat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the final but in the end could not win the championship because they lost 0-2 at home. competitor. Therefore, the Vietnamese team has many advantages in this aspect. If they win the first leg, this will be the key for them to open the gate to the championship.”

Opportunity for the Vietnamese team to defeat Thailand

After winning 2-1 in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2008 final, the Vietnamese team has yet to defeat Thailand in an official match. Even in the “golden era” that coach Park Hang-seo led, the Vietnamese team only defeated Thailand once (winning 1-0 in the 2019 King’s Cup friendly tournament). However, sheets Bola TimesIt is predicted that the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final will be a better opportunity for the Vietnamese team to change history.

“The Vietnamese team’s playing style under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik is very organized. They played disciplined, took full advantage of fixed situations and counter-attacked powerfully. This is expected to be a big challenge for Thailand in the final, especially when the Golden Temple team does not have stability in defense. When meeting the Philippines in the semi-finals, Thailand’s weaknesses were clearly exposed. The Vietnamese team has a lot of time to prepare and they certainly have a solution to exploit. The first leg at Viet Tri Stadium will be a better opportunity for Vietnam to change history and defeat Thailand.” Bola Times forecast.