Today's exciting match schedule: Welcoming Xuan Son's return, the Vietnamese team is determined to win big against Laos

The Vietnamese team needs to beat Laos in the match taking place at 7 p.m. today (November 19) to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

T WIN TO GET CLOSE TO A SIAN C UP 2027

Winning against Laos is a task within reach of the Vietnamese team, even though in tonight's match (November 19), coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will play away.

Vietnam team is capable of repeating the big victory on Laos field

Photo: Thuy An

In the last 2 matches, Mr. Kim's students scored 9 goals against Laos, not giving the opponent a chance to fight back. The record of 100% winning against Laos in history is just one of the factors that helped the balance tilt towards Vietnam.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's squad has fought in many major tournaments such as the 2019 Asian Cup, the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, and has met top opponents such as Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. All of this creates a difference overall, and if they play at the right level, the Vietnamese team is expected to have a rain of goals against the home team Laos.

The Laos national team has improved since coach Ha Hyeok-jun took charge. The Korean coach took advantage of the energy of small but skillful stars such as Bouphachan Bounkong (2000), Peter Phanthavong (2006)... to build a team with great fighting spirit.

Xuan Son's expressions are extremely funny on the field, Coach Kim assembles the team to play against Laos team

Under the coaching of Mr. Ha Hyeok-jun, Laos became more resilient and harder to defeat. At the AFF Cup 2024, the team drew with the Philippines (1-1) and Indonesia (3-3), only losing to Myanmar (2-3) by a last-minute goal, and also tied with Vietnam 0-0 in the first half.

In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Laos beat Nepal (2-1). In the two matches against Malaysia, Ha Hyeok-jun's students, although they lost both matches (0-3 and 1-5), also kept the score at a goalless draw in the first half of the match.

However, the above statistics also show the weakness of the Lao team, which is the weak physical foundation. Bounkong and his teammates conceded 8 goals in the second half, in just 2 matches against Malaysia. 7/9 goals that Laos conceded against Vietnam in the last 2 matches also came in the second half. While the second half was a "nightmare" for Laos, the Vietnamese team was sharp in this period, thanks to the flexible adjustment ability of coach Kim Sang-sik.

At the AFF Cup 2024, 19 of the 21 goals scored by the Vietnamese team came in the second half of the match. In the Asian Cup qualifiers, the second half of Coach Kim's team's goals also came more than the first half. Besides Coach Kim's ability to read the game and adapt flexibly, a very thick attacking force also plays a key role.

In the match against Laos, the Vietnamese team will welcome back Xuan Son. The 28-year-old striker has fully complied with the training plan in the past week. "I am strong enough to play the whole match, just waiting for the head coach," Xuan Son emphasized.

No matter when he enters the field, the Brazilian striker will bring new vitality to the Vietnamese attack, thanks to his superior class and good pressing ability. The Vietnamese team must win, even win big, to compete for the 2027 Asian Cup.

MR. K IM 'S DETERMINATION

Coach Kim Sang-sik announced before the match: "We have prepared carefully for the match against Laos. The players are in stable form, so we will try our best to achieve a good match and a good result."

Coach Kim Sang-sik also confirmed that Xuan Son is fit and in good shape to play. "I heard that without Xuan Son in the squad, Nam Dinh Club had a very difficult time. I would like to thank Nam Dinh for taking care of Xuan Son. I think it is completely possible to use him (in the match against Laos). Xuan Son has spent 10 months treating his injury and recovering, I am very grateful for that. Xuan Son's return will certainly bring more diverse attacking options to the Vietnamese team. I hope he will return with a goal to bring good news to Vietnamese fans. I am very happy that Xuan Son has recovered and returned," Mr. Kim assessed.

Captain Do Duy Manh confidently said: "The team's goal is to win the match against Laos. The match is very important for me personally, as well as the Vietnamese team. All of us will try to concentrate to play well and follow the tactics set out by the coaching staff."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-hap-dan-hom-nay-mung-xuan-son-tro-lai-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-quyet-thang-dam-lao-185251118231230505.htm