Is this a clever trick or an attempt to hide your true intentions?

In the 58th minute of the match between the Vietnamese and Laotian national teams, center-back Bui Tien Dung made a long pass over the defense to midfielder Nguyen Hai Long, who moved into the Laotian penalty area before Hai Long shot the ball into the net, giving Vietnam a 1-0 lead.

It is noteworthy that in last night's match (December 9th), Coach Kim Sang-sik's team had quite a few opportunities to approach the opponent's goal with through passes that sent the ball straight into the Laotian team's penalty area, or by initiating attacks from their own half, using long passes to open up play on both flanks.

Hai Long (number 24) penetrated the penalty area and scored a superb goal against the Laos national team.

In the first half, in the 4th minute, Hoang Duc made a long pass to the right wing for Truong Tien Anh to run onto. The Viettel The Cong player then crossed the ball into the middle for Bui Vi Hao to head it powerfully. Fortunately for the Lao team, the ball went right into the hands of goalkeeper Xaysavath, giving him a chance to save it. In the 32nd minute, center-back Do Duy Manh, from his own half, made a through pass into the opponent's penalty area for Vi Hao. Unfortunately, Vi Hao couldn't control the ball well in this play because he was moving. If Vi Hao had successfully controlled the ball in that situation, he would have been one-on-one with goalkeeper Xaysavath.

Just before Hai Long scored the opening goal for the Vietnamese team, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team had another similar coordinated attack that nearly resulted in a goal. In the 57th minute, Duy Manh made a long pass to Bui Vi Hao. The player, currently playing for Binh Duong, headed the ball very dangerously, forcing goalkeeper Xaysavath of the home team to make a fingertip save.

The situations described above show that Vietnam's attacks following long passes were not isolated incidents, but rather repeated intentionally. This indicates that this was an attacking strategy prepared by the Vietnamese team for the match against Laos. Perhaps Coach Kim Sang-sik realized that Laos was a suitable opponent to test a different attacking approach, replacing the previous habit of short passes and group combinations.

Tien Linh (right) could also have scored in the first half if he had taken his chances better.

Or perhaps, the South Korean coach himself didn't want the Vietnamese team to reveal too much of their attacking tactics against an opponent he considered weaker, like Laos. Therefore, Coach Kim Sang-sik instructed the Vietnamese players to make many long passes and execute many through balls to conceal attacks on the flanks or group combinations in the center, making it difficult for the opponent to fully understand their playing style. As for attacks down the flanks, overlapping runs, and one-two passes in the center, the Vietnamese team might gradually use these more frequently later in the tournament against stronger opponents.

Imagine if the Vietnamese team combined long passes with central attacks (like the situation where Quang Hai passed to Van Toan who broke the offside trap to score the third goal). How diverse and dangerous would Coach Kim Sang-sik's team be in the upcoming matches!

The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 will be broadcast live and in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-and-those-unique-paths-or-try-to-hide-the-cards-185241210125747087.htm