The Vietnamese national soccer team, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik (48), will try to advance to the final of the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (hereinafter referred to as the Mitsubishi Cup). If they reach the final, a Korean head coach will be on the final stage of the tournament for four consecutive tournaments since the 2018 tournament.
Vietnam will clash with Singapore in the second round of the Mitsubishi Cup semifinal at Viet Tree Stadium in Viet Tree, Vietnam, at 10 p.m. on the 29th (Korea time). Vietnam, which won 2-0 in the first round away match, can reach the final even if it loses by one goal. As the rule on multiple goals in away matches has been abolished, if it loses by two goals, it will enter an extended match. In the FIFA rankings, Vietnam ranks 114th and Singapore 160th.
In the first game held in the enemy territory, they won the theater and reached an advantageous position to advance to the final. At that time, Vietnam finished the regular time without scoring a goal, but Nguyen Thien Lin kicked a penalty kick obtained by an opponent's handball foul 11 minutes later. Three minutes later, Nguyen Xuansson scored an additional goal in the corner kick situation to win 2-0.
Vietnam, which has a favorable position, seeks to confirm its advance to the finals at home. If Vietnam gains the upper hand in the combined score of the first and second games and reaches the finals, Vietnamese soccer will be on the final stage for the second consecutive time following the 2022 tournament. The final opponent is the winning team in the Philippines-Thailand match, and in the first round, the Philippines won 2-1 to gain the upper hand.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also took the heavy responsibility of continuing his strength as the Korean head coach of the tournament. The competition, which is the most prestigious soccer competition in the region organized by the 토토사이트 Asian Football Federation (AFF) enough to be called the World Cup in Southeast Asia, is a competition that began to attract a lot of attention from domestic fans as coach Park Hang-seo led Vietnam to victory in 2018. At that time, it was called the AFF Suzuki Cup after the main sponsor, but since the 2022 tournament, it is called the Mitsubishi Cup as the sponsor changed. The competition is held every two years.
Coach Park Hang-seo led Vietnam to the championship following its advance to the final in 2018, and Shin Tae-yong led Indonesia to the final stage in the 2020 tournament. Then, in the 2022 tournament, Park Hang-seo and Vietnam reached the final again. If Vietnam, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, reaches the final, a Korean head coach will lead the team on the final stage of four consecutive tournaments. However, in 2020 and 2022, neither coach Shin Tae-yong nor head coach Park Hang-seo could win the championship. Coach Kim Sang-sik will also try to win the first Korean head coach in six years since head coach Park Hang-seo in 2018.
Kim Sang-sik's team is in a great mood. In the group league, Kim had three wins, one draw, 11 points and two goals to advance to the semifinal. He was the only one who could not compete with the Philippines, but rather, he beat Laos, Indonesia, and Myanmar. In the first round match of the semifinal, he eased the burden of an away match in Singapore and secured a complete victory of 2-0, continuing his bid to win the title in six years.
Though Kim has gained the upper hand, coach Kim Sang-sik is wary of letting his guard down. According to VN Express, a Vietnamese media outlet, Kim said, "Although our schedule is tight, our team will continue to focus." "We have one step to go until the final, but we still cannot rest assured of a 2-0 score. We need to not only defend ourselves but also attack better. We will do our best to play with the support of our home fans." If we reach the final, we will determine the winning team in the Philippines-Thailand match and the winning team in a home-and-away manner on Jan. 2 and Jan. 5 next year.