Tien Linh’s motivation: Towards historical milestones

Tien Linh approached the legends

After the 2-0 win against Singapore in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 semi-finals, Tien Linh had 24 goals (if you count the goal against Dortmund, it’s 25) for the Vietnamese team. On the rankings of players who scored the most goals for the Vietnamese team, he is ranked 3rd and is only 3 goals behind his former teacher Le Huynh Duc. With this momentum, it is sooner or later that Tien Linh surpasses the legendary Huynh Duc.

Tien Linh has participated in 3 AFF Cup editions and always scored in each edition. Most notably, in the AFF Cup 2022, he scored 6 goals and won the title of top scorer (with Teerasil Dangda of Thailand). Up to this point, the striker from Hai Duong has 12 goals in the AFF Cup. This number helps him rise to 8th place in the rankings of the players scoring the most goals in tournament history, on par with two legends Kiatisak Senamuang (Thailand) and Bambang Pamungkas (Indonesia).

Another impressive achievement is that Tien Linh became the first Vietnamese player to score against every Southeast Asian opponent he encountered. He scored goals in the confrontations with Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand. Only Timor Leste and Brunei remain that Tien Linh has not yet met. In the past, even Le Huynh Duc or Le Cong Vinh or Nguyen Anh Duc could not do the same thing.

With just 2 more goals, Tien Linh will reach the milestone of scoring 100 goals in his career (not counting goals at the youth level). He had 24 goals for the Vietnamese team and 74 goals for Binh Duong Club. And these records are definitely the motivation for Tien Linh to strive.

Will Tien Linh continue to shine?

Coach Kim Sang-sik has a habit of rotating the squad a lot in the 2024 AFF Cup. And when the Vietnamese team has so many advantages against Singapore, the Korean strategist is likely to do the same. Therefore, Tien Linh can start in the semi-final second leg. This is an opportunity for the striker born in 1997 to shine.

Tien Linh is showing that she is increasingly improving professionally. Besides 3 goals, he also had 2 assists. This was the first time he passed the ball to a teammate to score in an AFF Cup. Tien Linh’s ability to observe and make decisions has also improved a lot, clearly shown in the situation where he launched a lob right from the middle of the field, almost scoring a goal in the semi-final first leg. When sitting deep and contributing to the team’s playstyle, Tien Linh also did well.

Another favorable factor is that Tien Linh is playing extremely well with Xuan Son. This duo assisted each other to score in the 5-0 win over Myanmar. In the situation where the Vietnamese team received a penalty in the match against Singapore, Xuan Son contributed greatly with an unpleasant dispute, causing the opponent to make mistakes. But Tien Linh also deserves praise for his neat handling of the situation, throwing the ball in uncomfortably, causing confusion for the opposing goalkeeper and defender. When both strikers are on the field, the opposing defenders will have to split their attention, allowing them to play more comfortably and have more opportunities to score.

Most importantly, the spirit of the Vietnamese team in general and Tien Linh in particular is very comfortable. Hopefully when the mind is relieved, the legs will flourish.