Thai expert: Xuan Son is not very sharp, only scored 2 goals

Vietnam team 2-1 Thailand.

"Vietnamese strikers are very fast and strong," sports analyst and researcher Buranich Ratanavichien commented on Siamsports about the first leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand. The player in question is Nguyen Xuan Son.

The striker born in 1997 scored 2 goals to help the Vietnamese team lead 2-0. Thailand then rekindled hope for the return match with Chalermsak Aukkee's equalizer. According to expert Buranich, Xuan Son could even score twice as many goals as he actually did in this match.

"If he was sharper, he could have scored 4 goals. Xuan Son is not very sharp but still has 2 goals. We need to recognize him as a dangerous player, we need to pay special attention, " said Mr. Buranich.

This commentator believes that Xuan Son was the deciding factor in the first leg of the final. He assessed that the Vietnamese team was not superior to Thailand, although in reality, the number of opportunities created by the home team was much greater.

"The Thai team that came to Vietnam was not the strongest squad and was not in the best physical condition. I don't think the Thai team played poorly. At least, we still controlled the ball. The home team did not create much pressure.

After the first half ended 0-0, if there were no mistakes, the Thai team could have drawn. However, the players made mistakes. The second goal was a big mistake. He (Chalermsak Aukkee) advanced like that and took risks. He shouldn't have done that," said expert Buranich.

Xuan Son made the Thai defenders struggle.

"I'm sorry. I regret my mistake. The second goal made my teammates tired. I apologize to the Thai team," defender Chalermsak Aukkee wrote on social media after the first leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final. The Vietnamese team defeated Thailand 2-1 thanks to a brace from Nguyen Xuan Son.

Before the match, Chalermsak Aukkee answered the interview with the statement that he did not know who Xuan Son was. The Thai defender was confident that he and his teammates would be able to block the main striker of the Vietnamese team. However, they could only do that in the first half of the match.

The Thai defense struggled to keep up with Xuan Son. They had to work hard to keep up and stop the striker born in 1997 from taking a shot. However, Chalermsak Aukkee and his teammates could not maintain this throughout the match.

It was Thailand's defender wearing the number 5 shirt who was at fault for the second goal. He was taken by Xuan Son in the middle of the field and could not get the ball back despite pulling him. The striker leading the list of "top scorers" of the AFF Cup 2024 pushed the ball into the penalty area and finished to score, making the score 2-0.

Chalermsak Aukkee then made amends with a goal to reduce the score to 1-2. This goal gave the Thai team hope to turn the situation around in the second leg. The difference of only one goal makes the second leg very unpredictable. Thailand will meet Vietnam again at 8pm on January 5.