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Vietnam will enter the AFF Cup 2020 with the goal of defending the championship. In addition, this is also considered an opportunity for the Vietnamese men’s football team to rewrite history, erasing the so-called “10-year cycle”. |
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Waiting for 10 years 11 years ago, at the 2010 AFF Cup, Vietnamese team thought it would successfully defend the championship when its Thailand rivals suddenly stopped after the group stage. But the beautiful dream was shattered in the semi-finals against the Malaysian opponents that we had beat in the previous coronation journey. Tan Truong’s 2 mistakes in the first leg put “a mountain” in front of Vietnamese team, and we couldn’t overcome it in the second leg. Everyone knows that being crowned is difficult, but keeping the throne is even harder. The opponents carry the determination to overthrow while the defending champion must play under great pressure. They often stick to the old frame and are, of course, easily caught by the rest of the teams studying the gameplay carefully. And Vietnam that year not only failed to defend the number one position but had to wait until 10 years later to lift the AFF Cup again. There is a very remarkable detail that in the history of participating in the AFF Cup, Vietnam has reached the final three times and each time is a decade apart (1998, 2008, 2018). In football, that gap is as long as a generation. Fans tasted bitterness with Hong Son and the Golden Generation in 1998, broke down after Cong Vinh’s header in 2008, then endured another 10 years to enjoy the happiness when Quang Hai and his teammates become the 2018 champions. So does the cycle repeat itself, causing us to keep waiting? The answer is no. Because this is another Vietnamese team built on solid foundations, to reap glory, not a momentary phenomenon. Having enough confidence Recalling the feat three years ago, the “Golden Star Warriors” played with champion mentality throughout the journey. They go out to win and know how to win. They are also confident enough to deal with pressure. The final first leg against Malaysia at Bukit Jalil, the stadium was turned into a pan of fire by the Malaya Ultras to bury the Vietnamese dream in 2010, coach Park Hang-seo’s team soon scored two goals with a smart strategy. Being equalized, they didn’t panic either. Instead, they displayed bravery when controlling the excitement of the opponent and waiting for another opportunity to win. Four days later, Vietnam shows the difference not only from Malaysia but also the rest of Southeast Asia. That is the level. They controlled the game before delivering the finishing blow with a beautiful volley from Anh Duc. My Dinh, where witnessed a lot of pain in the past, now turns into a stage to honour the boys in red. The COVID-19 pandemic made the AFF Cup start again 3 years later. That period of time is long enough for Thailand, Malaysia, and even Myanmar or Laos to make strides. However, we do not stand still. After making a splash at the 2019 Asian Cup, coach Park Hang-seo’s team created an even more spectacular feat: participating in the final round of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Unfortunately, Vietnam still does not have a point in this too large playing field. But each failure is a great lesson for us to grow. This can also be seen as the preparation process for the AFF Cup. If the teams in the region had very few opportunities to compete during the pandemic, we were rubbed against high-quality opponents, thereby helping to perfect and upgrade ourselves. Although some important factors are still missing, compared to three years ago, Vietnam is braver and more unpredictable. Source: Nhan Dan Online |
