Cong Vinh is the number 1 striker in the history of the Vietnamese team, helping bring home the 2008 AFF Cup championship.
Le Cong Vinh: Rajamangala Stadium is just normal!
Le Cong Vinh scored the second goal to help the Vietnamese team beat Thailand 2-1 at Rajamangala Stadium, before scoring a header in the 90+4 minute to equalize 1-1 in the second leg of the final at My Dinh on December 28, 2008, bringing home the first Southeast Asian championship in the history of Vietnamese football.
The person who holds many records for the Vietnamese national team (83 appearances, 51 goals) recalled: "Before the second leg of the AFF Cup 2008 semi-final, everyone thought that in the final, Thailand would meet Singapore (winning 2 consecutive championships before that) who had a very strong squad of naturalized players.
The Vietnamese team at that time met Thailand as the underdogs, everyone thought the Thais would win the championship. Coach Henrique Calisto emphasized to the team that they looked down on him because they thought Singapore would reach the final.
Coach "To" said at that time that when Thai players stepped onto the field, they would chew gum, wear colorful shoes ... That could be their habit. But coach Calisto's words were like a provocation, the feeling of being looked down upon would ignite a strong fighting spirit in each Vietnamese player.
Cong Vinh said he did not have a strong impression of the pressure at Rajamangala Stadium: "The first leg of the 2008 AFF Cup final took place at Rajamangala, the Vietnamese team scored 2 goals first, strictly following the tactics set by coach Calisto."
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He continued: "The Vietnamese team was lucky in the 2-1 victory at Rajamangala when Thailand created many chances, but we played with resilience and courage, with Duong Hong Son shining to beat our opponents for the first time on Thai soil.
Being a guest at Rajamangala is normal, not necessarily as good as Vietnam. Thailand's cheering style is Japanese or European, with a steady rhythm that excites the players, quite similar to Bukit Jalin Stadium (Malaysia) but not as noisy as Indonesia.
No stadium creates more pressure than Gelora Bung Karno in Indonesia. It is a real fire pit, with the majority of fans being young and really passionate. The Vietnamese team stood firm at Gelora Bung Karno in 2022, so coming to Rajamangala, you will feel the beautiful grass, adjust to the climate and space, but it is not too much pressure."
'Thailand's defense is not strong this year'
Hai Long is one of Mr. Kim's shining new factors.
According to striker Le Cong Vinh, the fact that many fans and some media consider the Vietnamese team to be the number 1 candidate for the championship is a good thing, showing that confidence is rising.
In particular, the attacking line is on the rise, scoring 10 goals in the last 3 matches. In which, the duo Xuan Son - Tien Linh have together scored 8 goals in 3 consecutive matches, especially Xuan Son is a huge difference between the Vietnamese team's attacking line and the opponents.
The former captain of the Vietnamese team said: "It's quite interesting that many people think we are the "upper hand" against Thailand, different from the "underdog" position in 2008. But clearly our ability to win the championship has been rated higher.
Tien Linh and Xuan Son have scored 8 goals together in 3 consecutive matches.
Of course, in football, it takes two matches to know who is the winner. The Vietnamese team has the advantage of a day off, and has Xuan Son, a powerful and refined striker that has never been seen before.
In fact, I think the defense of the Thai team this year is not strong. The Vietnamese team can defeat Thailand in the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium. At that time, the solid defense will be the foundation for the second leg.
In this tournament, the defense of the Vietnamese team is very even, the players play together a lot. The 3 central defenders play solidly, have a combination of speed and technique, good blocking and covering ability, and understand each other.
Xuan Son is integrating well into the collective strength of the Vietnamese team.
In particular, Xuan Son's ability to press and create a good wall up front will put a lot of constant pressure on the Thai defense, helping to solve many problems for the back line. The Xuan Son - Tien Linh plan, if used, will be a great double-barreled gun.
The players now have too much battle experience. Coach Kim Sang-sik has the right tactics. With the trust of Vietnamese fans and the clearly stronger attack with Xuan Son, the chance of defeating the "War Elephants" is not small.
Most importantly, the Vietnamese team's desire will be greater when meeting Thailand. I believe that the players will try their best to win against Thailand to bring the third AFF Cup championship trophy to Vietnam."
Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is broadcast live and in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/le-cong-vinh-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-se-thang-thai-lan-tai-san-viet-tri-185241231212910244.htm
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