To help the Vietnamese team stand firm in the 'fire pit' of Bukit Jalil

The away match at Bukit Jalil Stadium promises to be difficult for the Vietnamese team, as host Malaysia will put pressure from all directions to win.

C BEWARE OF THE "FIRE PAN" B UKIT J ALIL

The Vietnamese team has been unbeaten against Malaysia for the past 11 years with an impressive record: 6 wins, 1 draw, 15 goals scored and only 3 goals conceded. However, the outstanding statistics of Quang Hai and his teammates mainly come from the fact that the Vietnamese team met Malaysia at home or on neutral ground.

Vietnam team determined to get points against Malaysia at Bukit Jalil stadium

Photo: THUY AN

Specifically, Vietnam beat Malaysia 1-0 in the 2016 AFF Cup at the neutral stadium in Myanmar (at the time when the AFF Cup still had the format of assigning the right to host the group stage to a fixed host team). Then 5 years later, continuing on a neutral stadium, this time in Singapore, Vietnam beat Malaysia with a resounding score of 3-0 in the 2020 AFF Cup group stage. In the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Vietnam also defeated Malaysia (2-1) at the neutral stadium in Singapore. The remaining victories against Malaysia all took place at home stadium My Dinh.

Malaysia - Vietnam match review: Challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik against naturalized players

Vietnam team is optimistic

Photo: VFF

In the past 10 years, the Vietnamese team has only traveled to Bukit Jalil once, that was the first leg of the 2018 AFF Cup final. Despite quickly leading by 2 goals, Coach Park Hang-seo's students dropped the victory when their opponents equalized 2-2. Then, it was not until the rematch at My Dinh Stadium that the Vietnamese team won 1-0 to claim the crown.

The Malaysian team has been in crisis for 6 years, lasting from 2019 until now. The "Tigers" were eliminated twice in the group stage of the AFF Cup (2020, 2022) and had to clean up their squad under new coach Peter Cklamovski. However, the "fortress" Bukit Jalil is still a difficult place to go, as Malaysia has only lost 1 match in the past year (0-3 against the Cape Verde team ranked 72nd in the world ).

The heat of the 80,000-seat stadium, with its well-trained fans (led by the infamous Malaysian Ultras) and distinctive dome design, allows Bukit Jalil to produce sounds of up to 117 dB, putting players under tremendous pressure and making it difficult to communicate with each other even when standing just 2 meters away on the pitch.

"We anticipated the pressure, it won't be easy to win here," said a player.

Vietnam team is determined to FIGHT

However, the Vietnamese team will not be afraid of Bukit Jalil, because the players are used to the pressure. Do not forget, in the face of the maximum whistles and boos in Rajamangala (Thailand), coach Kim Sang-sik's students bravely came back to win 3-2 in the second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final.

To overcome the fiery Bukit Jalil, the Vietnamese team needs the battle spirit of veterans, experienced players, accustomed to pressure and knowing how to adjust their mentality to control the pace of the match. Expert Phan Anh Tu believes that psychological endurance is as important as physical endurance, because it helps players maintain the rhythm of play, make clear decisions even under pressure. Coach Kim Sang-sik's squad has many experienced players who have won the AFF Cup at least once and have a strong battle spirit. These are factors that coach Kim Sang-sik does not need to say much about. The players themselves know what they have to do to stand firm on the opponent's "fortress".

"As a professional player, every stadium is the same. Everything besides expertise is the same. The most important thing is still yourself, you have to try to focus and contribute to the overall play, helping the Vietnamese team win the match," midfielder Hai Long shared.

Commentator Vu Quang Huy believes that the Vietnamese team also needs a suitable and reasonable approach when evaluating suitable tactics to create confidence for the players. That is the foundation of spirit, not just shouting. Facing an opponent Malaysia who is thirsty for victory by continuously adding naturalized players, the Vietnamese team needs to stay calm and cool. 1 point is enough in the match taking place on June 10. Keeping a cautious playing style and controlling the tempo of the match well, Mr. Kim's students will bring home the points.

On the afternoon of June 7, the Vietnamese team entered the second training session in Malaysia, preparing for the crucial match against the home team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. In this training session, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team decided to move the training location to UM Arena located on the campus of the University of Malaya, in order to increase tactical security before the important match with Malaysia. Mr. Kim continued to train his players in tactics by dividing them into opposing teams, practicing coordination in deploying the ball, maintaining distance against counterattacks, and set pieces...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-dung-vung-tai-chao-lua-bukit-jalil-185250607221757118.htm