Vietnam team knows what to do!

"DISSEMBLED" BY THE MEDIA

Only winning 1-0 against Myanmar, the Indonesian team was not highly rated, even doubted. CNN Indonesia commented: "Coach Shin Tae-yong's students played unconvincingly in the first 45 minutes. Fortunately, the Myanmar players wasted many opportunities. Although they played better in the second half, overall the Indonesian team's performance was still disappointing."

Rafael Struick (11) once made Hung Dung and Xuan Manh struggle.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

It is understandable that the Indonesian team did not play well. In this match, there were 8 players who played for the national team for the first time. Coach Shin Tae-yong also fielded a starting lineup with an average age of 19.9 years old, too young. Due to lack of experience, lack of cohesion, and having to play away from home, the Indonesian team was under a lot of pressure, almost conceding many goals. The Indonesian press also commented that if they played like that against stronger opponents like the Vietnamese team, coach Shin Tae-yong and his team would be at high risk of defeat.

The next concern of the Indonesian press is the match schedule. After the first round, the Vietnamese team will have a break, with 5 days to prepare for the match at home in Viet Tri. Meanwhile, the Indonesian team must return to Jakarta to welcome Laos. Next, they must travel to Vietnam, significantly shortening their rest time. This is a big disadvantage because many important players of the Indonesian team will not be in the best physical condition. Some key players such as Asnawi Mangkualam and Rafael Struick have just joined the team, sat on the bench in the match against the Myanmar team and were brought on in the second half.

Evaluating the strength of Vietnam's opponents at AFF Cup 2024

HOME TEAM VN IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE NEGATIVE

The Indonesian team has two big worries before the important confrontation with the Vietnamese team: a young and inexperienced squad and a tight match schedule. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team should not be complacent. The team of thousands of islands still has three stars who have made the Vietnamese team "regretful". First is Rafael Struick. This naturalized striker is rich in speed and strength, making Xuan Manh, Tien Dung, and Hung Dung struggle to keep up. He was also the one who made Thanh Binh commit a foul in the penalty area at the 2023 Asian Cup. After that, Asnawi scored from the penalty spot, helping the Indonesian team defeat the Vietnamese team.

We also cannot fail to mention Pratama Arhan, a full-back with powerful throw-ins. From his throw-in, Minh Trong made a mistake, allowing Egy Maulana to score the only goal in the match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. He also caused the U.22 Vietnam team to concede a goal at the 32nd SEA Games after a throw-in that disrupted the defense.

The remaining dangerous factor is Marselino Ferdinan, who also scored against the U.22 Vietnam team. He is currently Indonesia's top-class native star, a rare person who can break into the main squad to play with the naturalized players. Recently, he scored a double to help the Indonesian team create an earthquake: defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

All of the above players played well in the match against Myanmar, and these are factors that the Vietnamese team must be wary of.

WILL CAMBODIA CONTINUE TO MAKE ITS MARK?

In the second match of Group A - AFF Cup 2024 on December 11, the Cambodian team will face host Singapore at 6:00 p.m. After what they showed in the 2-2 draw with the Malaysian team, the "Angkor Warriors" are highly appreciated and are a strong candidate for second place in the group. Facing Singapore, a much easier opponent than Malaysia, is an opportunity for the Cambodian team to accumulate points, thereby competing for a ticket to the next round. Because in the remaining match, the Malaysian team is almost certain to win all 3 points when they only have to meet the visiting team Timor Leste at 8:00 p.m. on the same day.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-dien-doi-thu-indonesia-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-biet-can-phai-lam-gi-185241210211810454.htm