Win against Indonesia can guarantee Vietnam’s AFF Cup semi-final place

VOV.VN - The Vietnamese men’s national football team will not only secure a spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing AFF Cup 2020, but also make a statement as the defending champions if they secure a win over Indonesia in their third group match on December 15 evening.

Both Vietnam and Indonesia have got off to a good start at the AFF Cup 2020 after earning six points each after two matches, with Indonesia temporarily leading Group B on goal difference.

The December 15 match is of great significance as it will decide who will top the group and cruise to the semi-final round.

If both sides draw then it is Vietnam who will have a greater advantage in the race to the semi-finals as they will face Group B’s bottom-placed Cambodia in the final group match, whilst Indonesia will take on strong rivals Malaysia.

Vietnam has learned a lot from their six consecutive losses in the third and final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The AFF Cup 2020 is another regional competition and Vietnamese players are determined to defend their title they won in 2018.

It’s worthy of note that the previous five encounters with Indonesia have seen Vietnam win them all. Most recently, coach Park Hang-seo’s men defeated their Indonesian rivals 4-0 in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Park admitted Indonesia are much changed compared to their last World Cup qualifying match against Vietnam which took place in June. They now feature many new footballers who are better physically and work well together. They scored nine goals in two matches against Laos and Cambodia at the AFF Cup 2020.

The Korean strategist expressed hope that Indonesia would play attacking football when playing against Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s coach Shin Tae-yong believed the right strategy and positive spirit would help Indonesia beat Vietnam in their next AFF Cup clash.

In a press conference held after Indonesia defeated Laos 5-1 on December 12, Shin said he was confident his team would record a good result if they played well and seized up opportunities.

The Vietnam vs Indonesia game is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. in Singapore on December 15.

Vietnam will then play their final group stage match against Cambodia on December 19. They earlier trounced Laos 2-0 and Malaysia 3-0 in their first and second matches on December 6 and 12, respectively.

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