AFF Cup 2024 final: Thailand looks to nullify Vietnam advantage for successful defence of ASEAN Championship
AFF Cup 2024 final: Thailand looks to nullify Vietnam advantage for successful defence of ASEAN Championship
The 2024-25 edition of the ASEAN Championship (AFF Cup) has finally reached its last match, with Thailand hosting Vietnam in the second leg of the final, at the Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday.
Vietnam holds a one-goal advantage after the first leg, having won that game 2-1 at the Viet Tri Stadium on January 2. Nguyen Xuan Son was the star of that game, opening the scoring with a header and then dispossessing Chalermsak Aukkee to double the 14 minutes later.
Aukkee pulled one back for the visitors, off a header, in the 83rd minute, keeping the defending champion well within the contest before the return leg.
“In the first leg, we had support from our local fans. I was pleased with the match, but I asked my players to leave it behind and focus on the upcoming one,” Vietnam’s head coach Ki Sang-Sik said in the pre-match press conference.
“The second leg will be tough. We will be under high pressure from Thai supporters, and the Thais will rise up strongly. Nevertheless, we have prepared well for the match tomorrow.”
Nguyen Xuan Son, known earlier as Rafaelson, has been the star of this tournament and for Vietnam, finding the net seven times in the tournament and is likely to win the Golden Boot.
He has already set the record for most goals by a Vietnamese player in a single edition of the tournament.
“Thailand lost in the first match because our defence could not manage Son. This time we must stop him,” Thailand’s head coach Masatada Ishii said.
“Tomorrow, players must fix our mistakes made in the first leg and follow our tactics. Playing at Rajamangala is their pride. They should compete the best under the eyes of dozens of thousands of supporters.”
Thailand has played Vietnam 29 times, winning 18 of those games while losing just thrice. The remaining matches have been drawn. The last time Thailand hosted Vietnam at the Rajamangala Stadium, it ended in a 1-0 win for the Thais.
The craze for the second leg has been evident by the speed with which the tickets were sold. According to local media, the passes for the game were sold out within two hours of being released.
