Laos 0-0 Vietnam: Xuan Son enters the field

In the 3rd minute, Dang Van Lam had to struggle to save the Vietnamese team after a decisive long-range shot by Laos captain Bounphachan Bounkong.

In the 7th minute, the Vietnamese team had their first chance. From a drop ball by Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Tien Linh swung his leg from quite a distance but the ball did not go far enough to cause trouble for the home team's goalkeeper.

In the 15th minute, Tien Linh skillfully turned around to get past the Lao defender, before taking his second shot. However, the Vietnamese striker's shot was inaccurate.

The Laos team played quite confidently in the first minutes. Photo by Hai Hoang.

In the 20th minute, the Lao goal opened up after a reasonable pass from Van Vi on the left wing. Hoang Duc rushed in to shoot skillfully but the ball went just over the bar. The away team's attack started from a quality long pass from Quang Hai.

The first half of the first half passed with Vietnam playing on half court. After some ineffective short passes, the visitors started to move the ball to the flanks. However, the white team's decisive moves did not have the necessary precision.

Vietnam team had difficulty against Laos' crowded defense. Photo: Hai Hoang.

In the 32nd minute, Tien Linh received the ball close to the goal after a good pass from Jason Quang Vinh Pendant. However, the Vietnamese striker's shot still missed the target. Just a few minutes later, it was Hoang Duc's turn to have a chance to shoot from close range. Goalkeeper Anoulak Vilaphonh was able to close the angle to save the home team. Outside the field, coach Kim Sang-sik had Xuan Son warm up.

The first half ended with a somewhat disappointing performance from Tien Linh and his teammates. At the end of 2024, Laos also held Vietnam to a 0-0 draw, then conceded 4 goals in the second half.

Right at the beginning of the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik immediately sent 4 players including Hai Long, Xuan Son, Tuan Hai and Gia Hung onto the field to refresh the attack.

The current situation in Group F is still not favorable for the Vietnamese team. Do Duy Manh and his teammates must win 3 points against host Laos to keep up with Malaysia in the race for a ticket to the Asian Cup.

Coach Kim Sang-sik stressed that his players need to determine their own fate through wins, instead of waiting for FIFA's decision on Malaysia after the naturalization scandal.

List of players on the field of the Vietnam team. Photo: VFF.

The task of winning away from home is not too difficult for the Vietnamese team, as Laos is considered one of the weakest teams in the group. The history of confrontation is also completely in favor of the "Golden Star Warriors", with a 100% winning rate on the field of the neighboring team in the past 11 years. In the last 5 trips to Laos's field, the Vietnamese team only conceded 1 goal and scored 18 goals.

In all competitions, Laos have not even been able to hold Vietnam to a draw, let alone dream of 3 points. The 5-0 victory in the first leg clearly showed the difference in class between the two teams.

In this match, the Vietnamese team has a notable reinforcement with the number one star on the attack line, Nguyen Xuan Son, returning after a long period of injury. In addition, Viet Cuong and Gia Bao are also notable faces.