Thailand's coach admits he couldn't cope with Xuan Son.

Vietnam 2-1 Thailand

" Thailand lost 1-2 in the first leg and couldn't defend against Xuan Son, now we will have to stop him. We will correct the mistakes we made in the first leg ," coach Ishii Masatada began his press conference before the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final.

According to coach Ishii Masatada, the mistakes made by the defenders when facing Xuan Son are something the Thai team needs to look at and quickly correct. The Japanese coach believes that although the Thai team lost, they are not at a disadvantage going into the second leg.

In the first leg of the final, Nguyen Xuan Son won the Man of the Match award. In the first half, the Vietnamese team created many opportunities, but Nguyen Xuan Son failed to capitalize on them.

Nevertheless, in the second half, the striker scored a brace to help the Vietnamese team defeat Thailand 2-1. Throughout the match, Xuan Son tormented the Thai defenders. Akarapong Pumwisat even suffered an injury while trying to stop Xuan Son.

Coach Masatada Ishii is worried about Nguyen Xuan Son.

The Thai defender suffered a serious ankle injury. The midfielder, born in 1995, was unable to walk and had to be wheeled to the airport to return home. The Lamphun Warriors player will definitely not play in the second leg.

"We don't know the exact extent of his injury yet. However, Akarapong, Peeradol, and Weerathep are very important players for the Thai national team. We hope Akarapong can recover well," said Ishii.

The second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final will take place at 8 PM on January 5th.

Mai Phuong (From Bangkok, Thailand)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hlv-thai-lan-thua-nhan-khong-chong-do-noi-xuan-son-ar918197.html