Vietnam’s national football team defeated Laos 4-1 in their opening match of Group B in the 2024 ASEAN Cup on December 9. However, Coach Kim Sang-sik acknowledged that the team faced some difficulties, particularly in the first half.
“In the first half, it wasn’t easy. We had some challenges trying to score from different positions. However, the players were patient and waited for the right opportunities. In the second half, they did exactly what we had practiced, and we achieved the desired result,” Coach Kim stated after the match at the National Stadium in Laos.
Vietnam was highly favored going into the match, having won 12 of their previous 13 encounters with Laos, with one draw. However, Coach Kim had warned about potential difficulties against the hosts, and that concern proved to be true in the first half. Despite dominating possession with 71% and having 11 shots on goal (five on target), Vietnam struggled to break through Laos’ disciplined defense.
This was the first time since 2008 (when the tournament was still called the AFF Cup) that Vietnam failed to score against Laos in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, Vietnam’s performance improved significantly. The introduction of players such as Van Vi, Van Toan, Tuan Hai, and Quang Hai gave the team more attacking options as Laos started to tire. In the 58th minute, Hai Long latched onto a long pass from Bui Tien Dung and struck a beautiful volley into the top corner to open the scoring. The goal lifted the team’s spirits, and Vietnam began to play more fluidly. In the 63rd minute, Tien Linh capitalized on a defensive mistake from Laos to double the lead. Then, in the 69th and 83rd minutes, Van Toan and Van Vi added two more goals to make it 4-0.
In injury time, a VAR review awarded Laos a penalty after Do Duy Manh fouled Bounphachan Bounkong in the box. The Laos captain converted the penalty with a low shot to the left corner, despite goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu diving in the right direction.
Although the game had its challenges, Coach Kim expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, especially with the three points secured in their opening match. He also thanked the thousands of Vietnamese fans who attended the match to support the team.
Regarding tactics, the coach explained that he had analyzed Laos’ 1-1 draw with Thailand in a recent friendly and noticed that Laos mainly relied on a deep defensive line. To break down their defense, he instructed his players to exploit spaces behind the defense. While they could have scored earlier in the first half, luck was not on their side.
“I confirm that the players did well. They followed the tactics we worked on,” Coach Kim added. “Aside from a few missed opportunities, young players like Van Khang and Vi Hao are still very young and need more time. Also, the pitch conditions in Laos and Vietnam are slightly different, so we had to adjust accordingly. Overall, I’m satisfied with the result.”
Looking ahead to the next match on December 15 against Indonesia, who defeated Myanmar 1-0 on the same day, Coach Kim expressed confidence that Vietnam could achieve a good result. He believes the players are ready both physically and mentally as they aim for the final, their goal for this tournament.
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