The most read Vietnamese newspaper
Edition: International | Vietnamese
© Copyright 1997 VnExpress.net. All rights reserved.
Vietnam finally broke their winless streak at home against Thailand after 27 years with a 2-1 victory. Xuan Son played the hero for the hosts in this game with a brace, while Thailand got an important goal by Aukkee to keep their hopes for the second leg in Bangkok on Sunday.
 |
|
Xuan Son celebrates his second goal for Vietnam. Photo by Hieu Luong |
It's Xuan Son again with another finish, this time he faced Khemmai and tried to put it past him, but the keeper blocked it with his leg.
The additional time for the second half is six minutes.
Tien Anh, at the edge of the box, surprised Khemmai with a curling shot and forced him to punch it out. Xuan Son was there for a tap in but the angle was too narrow.
A lack of concentration in the defense punished Vietnam when the ball was crossed inside for Aukkee to head it in fo Thailand. The guest are pushing forward in the last minutes.
Thailand almost got one back with a freekick that hit the bar.
Vietnam have met Thailand 29 times at the national team level, where they won 3, drawn 8 and lost 18 games. The team's winning rate is only 10%, while the number of losses accounted for 62%. Excluding friendly tournaments, Vietnam have only defeated Thailand twice in the past 30 years.
The last time Vietnam beat Thailand was 26 years ago, when the team hosted the 1998 Tiger Cup (now ASEAN Cup), a 3-0 victory. Since then, Vietnam have drawn 4 and lost 3 matches when they hosted Thailand.
In the most recent encounter, a friendly match at My Dinh Stadium in September 2024, Vietnam lost 1-2 to Thailand.
But Vietnam have a good chance to end this winless streak at home when they face Thailand in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup final today. Of the 10 teams participating in this tournament, Vietnam have had the longest preparation time, and are the only team to train abroad and call up the best squad. Before the final, Vietnam also had one more day of rest than Thailand, while their opponent had a tough 120-minute game in the second leg of the semifinal with the Philippines.
In addition, the presence of naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son has given the home team more confidence. In just three matches, the Brazilian-born striker has scored five goals and topped the tournament's scoring list.
