Thai goalkeeper and shocking statistics, Vietnam team has reason to regret

Thailand could have lost to Vietnam by 3 to 4 goals.

"The Vietnamese team could have finished off Thailand right at their home ground in Viet Tri, after almost having a fantastic second half thanks to the outstanding performance of Nguyen Xuan Son," former Singaporean player and commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai expressed after watching the first leg of the AFF Cup 2024 final on the evening of January 2nd.

According to regional media reports, the Thai defenders were completely helpless against Nguyen Xuan Son of the Vietnamese national team.

"The second half was fantastic. Chalermsak Aukkee redeemed himself, and that goal helped Thailand survive and keep their hopes alive. However, I think the Vietnamese team will be a bit difficult to beat. They could have finished off their opponents right here (at Viet Tri Stadium). Not only Nguyen Xuan Son, but most of the Vietnamese players played a great first leg of the final."

Nevertheless, for neutral fans, the 2-1 scoreline in favor of Vietnam is great, because we will have another match to watch that promises to be incredibly exciting and dramatic. Playing at home, I think Thailand will perform better," Rhysh Roshan Rai assessed.

Highlights Vietnam 2-1 Thailand: First leg of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 final

In the first leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final, according to regional media reports such as The Straits Times (Singapore), the Vietnamese team held the initiative, but the Thai team also played with great determination.

Despite this, the visiting team's players, under greater pressure, made numerous mistakes, especially in defense, allowing striker Nguyen Xuan Son to score a brace, giving Vietnam a 2-0 lead in the 59th and 73rd minutes. In the 83rd minute, center-back Chalermsak Aukkee scored to reduce the deficit to 1-2, rekindling hope for Thailand ahead of the return match at 8 PM on January 5th.

Had they capitalized on their scoring opportunities better, the Vietnamese team could have dashed all of Thailand's hopes in the first leg of the final.

Thai media, including television reporter Ta Lao, also acknowledged: "With Thailand's defensive errors, the Vietnamese team could have scored 3 or 4 goals. If they had done that, Chalermsak Aukkee's goal to compensate for his mistakes would certainly not have been enough."

However, the Thai team was fortunate to leave Viet Tri Stadium with a 1-2 defeat. They will have a chance to reverse the situation at their home stadium, Rajamangala, where 47,000 tickets sold out in just two hours. The drama is yet to come."

Meanwhile, GOAL statistics show that goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai made a total of 7 spectacular saves against shots on goal from Vietnamese strikers in both the first and second halves of the Thai team.

GOAL (Thailand) website points out the hero of the Thai team, keeping their hopes alive for the second leg.

"Without Patiwat Khammai's outstanding performance, the Thai team would probably have suffered a heavy defeat against Vietnam and their hopes would have ended prematurely. Fortunately, they only conceded two goals thanks to the brilliance of Nguyen Xuan Son, whose name the entire Thai team now knows."

With a 1-2 defeat, everything is still up in the air. But the Thai team must perform better than in the first leg to have any hope. If they cannot stop Nguyen Xuan Son and the Vietnamese team is in extremely high spirits, then the outcome of the first leg could still repeat itself," GOAL emphasized.

Watch the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 live and in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thu-mon-thai-lan-va-thong-ke-gay-soc-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-co-ly-do-tiec-nuoi-185250103100420181.htm