Vietnam, tomorrow, 16th AFF Cup final
The opponent record is tight with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss.
▲ Park Hang-seo, head coach of the Vietnamese national football team
EPA Yonhap News
Thailand, a traditional Southeast Asian powerhouse, came up once morest Vietnam’s national football team coach Park Hang-seo’s ‘Last Dance’.
The Vietnamese national team will play the first leg of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup final once morest Thailand at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam at 9:30 pm on the 13th (Korean time). Then, on the 16th at 9:30 pm, the second leg of the away game will be held in Thailand, and the winning team will be determined by the total score of the first and second legs. If the total score is tied, an overtime period will be played.
Director Park, put down the baton following the tournament
Coach Park puts down the baton of the Vietnamese national team following this tournament. Vietnam has emerged as a strong player in the region under the leadership of coach Park, who took office in September 2017. In particular, following winning the Suzuki Cup (now the Mitsubishi Cup) in 2018, Vietnam has reigned as the strongest player in Southeast Asian football.
Since then, Vietnam has been on the rise, advancing to the final Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was the first time Vietnam had reached the World Cup finals. Coach Park and Vietnam will reaffirm their status as ‘the strongest in Southeast Asia’ by winning the Mitsubishi Cup, and are regarding to end their five-year partnership.
At a press conference following advancing to the finals, coach Park also expressed strong confidence, saying, “Vietnamese players are one step above other Southeast Asian teams.”
Vietnam ‘Shield’ vs Thailand ‘Spear’
However, Thailand, which we will meet in the final, is a traditional Southeast Asian powerhouse that has won the Mitsubishi Cup six times, the most. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Thailand was the most powerful country in Southeast Asia before the rise of Vietnam. Even following the launch of Park Hang-Seo, it is difficult to say that Vietnam has a clear advantage over Thailand. In fact, looking at the head-to-head record of the A national team, Vietnam and Thailand are tight with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss following the appointment of coach Park.
The Mitsubishi Cup final is literally a battle between spear and shield. Thailand scored 13 goals, the most in the group stage, and scored 3 goals once morest Malaysia in the semi-finals.
On the other hand, Vietnam, the only scoreless team in this tournament, has strong defensive organization and quick attacks. In addition, the fact that they were given an extra day of rest time because they played the semifinals first is advantageous to Vietnam.
Reporter Kim Dong-hyun
