The top scorer is also great…

Xuan Son shared her feelings.

Coach Kim Sang-sik, Xuan Son, Van Toan, Quang Hai, and others were among the first group of the Vietnamese national team to arrive at Noi Bai Airport on the afternoon of December 27th.

Arriving at Changi Airport (Singapore), the team members were all in a relaxed and cheerful mood after their 2-0 victory against the host team Singapore in the first leg of the AFF Cup semi-final.

Coach Kim Sang-sik was in a relaxed mood before boarding the plane.

Xuan Son takes photos with female fans at the airport.

Responding to a reporter from Bóng Đá newspaper about the prospect of becoming the top scorer of the tournament, Xuân Son said: “For now, I'm still thinking more about the overall results of the team. But the title of top scorer sounds interesting, doesn't it? I will score many more goals for the Vietnamese national team in the upcoming matches. Let's wait and see,” Xuân Son shared.

Van Toan and his teammates at the airport this afternoon.

The first leg of the semi-final on Singapore's Jalan Besar artificial turf was unpredictable. Despite superior ball control, Singapore was completely outmatched in terms of scoring opportunities compared to Vietnam. One of the most controversial aspects was the excessive involvement of VAR, including a spectacular goal by Xuan Son – which, if allowed, would have been a masterpiece. Ultimately, Vietnam secured a comfortable two-goal victory away from home thanks to the late brilliance of the duo Xuan Son and Tien Linh.

The return match at home in Viet Tri ( Phu Tho ) is predicted to be easier, with the team having the support of tens of thousands of home fans and playing on a familiar natural grass pitch, along with a relaxed mindset after already having scored two goals. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his players certainly cannot be complacent, as we have seen how much the Vietnamese team struggled during the 90 minutes of regular time in the first leg of the semi-final.

Vietnam scored two goals in injury time to beat Singapore in a match played entirely under VAR.

Xuan Son continued his outstanding performance, earning the title of 'Man of the Match'.

Tien Linh's opening goal was featured on the FIFA World Cup fan page.

Speaking after the match, coach Kim Sang-sik also admitted that the whole team faced many difficulties and expressed his views on the referee's VAR decisions:

"I thank the fans who traveled all the way from their hometowns to support the Vietnamese team. I dedicate this victory to all the fans. We tried to adapt to the weather and pitch conditions. The first half was really difficult. However, we got back on track with some adjustments. This result gives us a lot of advantages for the second leg and now we are ready. The decision to disallow Xuan Son's goal was indeed unlucky for us. However, we all have to obey and respect the referees. They officiated a successful match. I thank them," said Mr. Kim.

Coach Kim Sang-sik received a yellow card in the first leg of the semi-final for reacting inappropriately.

The team needs to learn from this experience.

Both Singapore and Vietnam were praised for their spirited performances . Singapore's team was considered to possess physically strong players, particularly in aerial duels. Coach Kim stated that he felt fortunate his team didn't concede any goals. Furthermore, the South Korean strategist expressed satisfaction with Dinh Trieu's performance. However, he acknowledged that no player is perfect and the entire team needs to learn from individual mistakes in the match.

A fantastic save by Dinh Trieu.

"Although there were difficult moments, we overcame them. This is a well-deserved victory for the whole team. I went to Son and comforted him after the passionate and courageous match. Son told me about the disallowed goal, that it was a legitimate play, the ball touched his chest, not his hand. It's a pity that the referee disallowed the goal after consulting VAR. However, we all have to respect the referee. We will try to play well in the second leg of the semi-final to achieve our goal of winning the championship like six years ago. It won't be easy, but we will focus intensely," said coach Kim Sang-sik.

Fans waited through the night in the freezing cold to buy tickets for the second leg of the Vietnam - Singapore semi-final.

Regarding the Singapore team, coach Ogura Tsutomu believes the biggest difference between the two teams in the recent match was that the Vietnamese team capitalized on their opportunities better.

"In the final minutes of added time, we conceded two goals. Football, it turns out, isn't just a game that lasts 90 minutes. Both Vietnam and Singapore had chances, but Vietnam capitalized and punished Singapore. This match was full of drama; I felt like I was watching a movie. From VAR to disallowed goals and penalties. The fact that the match dragged on for so long, with almost 15 minutes of added time, tired out the Singapore players and caused them to lose focus."

Singapore's coach Oruga believes his team still has a chance.

"My players also lacked the experience to prevent the second goal. I told my players after the first half that if we could keep the score 0-0 until the end of the second half, we would be confident going into the second leg of the semi-final. The most important thing now is for the players to focus on recovering in time to regain their fitness for the second leg. The semi-final is still ongoing, it's not over yet. We still have a chance to reach the final," said Mr. Ogura.

The ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 will be broadcast live and in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuan-son-cung-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-ve-nuoc-lai-noi-loi-gan-ruot-vua-pha-luoi-cung-hay-185241227092532907.htm