Vietnamese and Malaysian players (Photo VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 final is a chance for Vietnam’s and Malaysia’sfootball to come to the throne in Southeast Asia for the second time in theirhistory, according the international media.
John Duerden, Asiacorrespondent of ESPN - a US-based sports television channel, warned Vietnamesefans should be careful despite their team’s easy win of 2-0 over Malaysia inthe group stage.
He explained thatMalaysia lost 1-5 to Indonesia in the opener of the 2010 tournament but theybeat the same rivals 4-2 on aggregate in the final to lift the trophy for thefirst time.
Vietnamese players haveplenty of techniques and ability under the lead of Korean coach Park Hang-seo,hence, they become “harder to beat and more pragmatic”, he wrote.
It is coach Park Hang-seothat inspires his students to win, Duerden wrote, adding that Park’s philosophyin football is to win.
Malaysian coach Tan ChengHoe, who was an assistant when Malaysia won in 2010, has the samephilosophy.
“He has been around longenough to know that a coach won't be around long without it in Southeast Asia -but he has injected new life into the Malaysian team,” Duerden wrote.
The boss has a young teamplaying with aggression and ambitions, he added.
“Malaysia is certainly well aware of theadvantages and disadvantages of Vietnam as this is the second meeting betweenthe two teams,” Duerden wrote.
According to Semuanyabola – a football news website of Malaysia – providednotable statistics ahead the final first-leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 inKuala Lumpur on December 11.
It said throughout 2018,Malaysia has never lost at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Coach Tan Cheng Hoe andhis students will take this advantage to ensure a comfortable outcome beforethe second-leg match in Hanoi on December 15.
In 11 encounters over the past 10 years, Vietnam has won six while Malaysia hasenjoyed victories three times with the last one at the AFF Cup 2014.
Malaysian players should be careful with the attacks from Vietnamese rivals,Semuanyabola noted, describing it as a scary weapon of the “golden stars”.-VNA
