The Vietnamese team had minimal victory but maximum effectiveness!

Overcome psychological pressure

In 2024, the Vietnamese team experienced 3 losses to Indonesia. This causes current Vietnamese players to face a lot of psychological pressure against the team from the land of thousands of islands. This is shown in the Vietnamese team’s playing style against Indonesia last night (December 15). Vietnamese players still press the field, but we are still afraid of conceding goals in counter-attacks and set-piece situations that Indonesia exploits. The decisive final actions of the Vietnamese players were therefore not elegant.

Former Vice President (PCT) in charge of expertise of VFF Duong Vu Lam assessed that Quang Hai’s goal for the Vietnamese team was a rare breakthrough for the entire team in this match. Previously, when a Vietnamese player had the ball close to Indonesia’s 16m 50 area, we did not handle it decisively. The fact that the team has continuously lost to the team from the land of thousands of islands this year has more or less affected the players’ confidence. Therefore, last night’s win will help improve the spirit of the entire Vietnamese team. From this point on, the Vietnamese team believed that we could defeat Indonesia, believing that we had somewhat regained the leading position in Southeast Asia.

Former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam added: “Since the win against Indonesia, I think that in the next matches, Vietnamese players will play more confidently. The value of the victory against Indonesia does not lie in the score, but in solving the psychological problem for the players. They successfully blocked Indonesia’s familiar attack patterns, including the typical throw-ins of their opponents. In addition, winning against Indonesia will help the players be confident that we can win against other opponents from now until the end of the tournament.

In addition to spirit, in terms of playing style, the Vietnamese team played at a watchable level in the match against Indonesia. Maybe the team is not very good, but as said, the fact that we did not play jubilantly came from the nature of the match. Still, a win is a win. Not to mention, the victory over Indonesia at this time has a very special meaning for the Vietnamese team.”

Find the leaders at all levels

Previously, coach Tran Cong Minh commented: “Any team needs the role of a leader on the field. It’s even better to have a different leader on each line of a team. These leaders will act on behalf of the coach and urge their teammates to perform better. When their teammates’ morale is low, these leaders will help those around them calm down.”

Based on that criterion, the Vietnamese team has almost found the leaders at each level. They are midfielder Quang Hai in the midfield, striker Tien Linh in the front line and midfielder Thanh Chung in the back row.

Tien Linh creates attraction on the striker line, attracting the opposing defenders. This player did not directly score in last night’s match, but he put significant pressure on the Indonesian goal, and Tien Linh was the one who made the decisive pass for Quang Hai to score the only goal.

As for Quang Hai, in a tense match, the midfielder’s star role was demonstrated. He made a difference for the Vietnamese team with an explosive play that many others could not do. Quang Hai is gradually regaining his excellent image at the 2018 AFF Cup, rediscovering shining moments at the right time. From now until the end of the tournament, Quang Hai is still the team’s top hope in the hands of coach Kim Sang-sik.

As for midfielder Thanh Chung, this player’s certainty is the fulcrum for the Vietnamese team’s backline. Thanh Chung plays calmly and professionally. Even this player’s foul and yellow card in the first half also received praise. Because it was a necessary tactical foul, preventing the opponent’s dangerous counterattack, not a malicious tackle. More importantly, Thanh Chung always calmly “cleans up” and corrects his teammates when they make mistakes.

According to those criteria, yesterday’s match of the Vietnamese team against Indonesia was very successful, even though we only beat the team from the land of thousands of islands with a minimal difference.