Both teams are preparing for the return leg to decide the champions, which will take place at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium on December 15.

The national football team have their first training session in Hanoi, on December 13, since returning home after a 2-2 draw with Malaysia in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 final in Kuala Lumpur three days ago.

At 4:15 pm Thursday afternoon, the home team had their training session at a youth football training centre in My Dinh sports complex under the cold at 13C.

It is noteworthy that striker Nguyen Van Toan and defender Que Ngoc Hai had to practice separately from other teammates under the supervision from the team’s doctor Choi Ju Young. Van Toan was injured in a training session ahead of the last group match with Cambodia on November 24 and has been out since.

Meanwhile, Ngoc Hai suffered a light pain in the 2-2 draw with Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil Stadium on December 11. Although the vice-captain was confirmed capable to play the final second leg, he still has to follow a separate training plan to facilitate better recovery.

At the beginning of the session, midfielder Huy Hung, who scored the opener during the final first leg at Bukit Jalil, said that his team will be well-prepared for the final match against Malaysia on Saturday.

According to Huy Hung, Malaysian players are physically strong and also very technical. In the second leg, Vietnam will definitely have to play very concentratedly. "We will have the best preparation when we meet Malaysia. The players are very confident. In my opinion, the Vietnamese team will have to be particularly focused in set-piece situations," Hung said.

In the first leg, the Vietnamese team led 2-0 in the first half but then let Malaysia equalize 2-2. Both Malaysian goals were scored from dead ball situations. After the match, Vietnam’s coach Park Hang-seo admitted that this is a problem for the Vietnamese defensive line.

The Malaysian team waste no time as they enter their first training in Hanoi right after arriving the capital city to prepare for the AFF Cup final return leg against hosts Vietnam.

Early Thursday afternoon, the Malaysian team were present in Hanoi and coach Tan Cheng Hoe's side immediately had their first training at My Dinh training ground from 6pm the same day. Malaysia are struggling to get used to the cold of Hanoi. However, Tan said his players are very optimistic.

The Malaysian strategist revealed that his team are capable to field in their strongest squad for the rematch at My Dinh Stadium. Malaysia welcomes the return of two defenders Aidil Zafuan and Syazwan Andik after injuries, while Syahmi Safari is also back after being suspended in the final first leg due to the red card he received in the semi-final return leg against Thailand.

Both Vietnam and Malaysia are looking to claim their second title at the biggest regional football tournament, the former were crowned in 2008 and the latter two years later. The second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 final will kick off at My Dinh Stadium at 7:30 pm Saturday evening.

National Games: Anh Vien affirms reign on “blue race” with 10th gold

Vietnam’s no. 1 swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was dominant on the “blue race” at the ongoing 2018 National Games, sweeping three more titles on December 5 to increase her gold-medal tally to 10, following triumphs in the freestyle distances of 50m, 100m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m as well as the 200m medley and 100m backstroke events.

 

Vietnam secure ticket to AFF Cup finals

Vietnam beat the Philippines 2-1 in the second leg of the ASEAN Federation Football (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 semi-finals on December 6 to advance to the finals, thanks to the 4-2 results on aggregate.

 

AFF Cup: Nation smothered in red as Vietnam enters final

Vietnam glowed bright red after the men’s team stormed emphatically into the final of the AFF Cup Thursday night.

 

Thai media: Vietnam moves closer to AFF Cup championship title

Thai media ran various headlines on Vietnam’s victory over the Philippines in the semifinal return leg of the ASEAN Federation Football (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018, saying that the team is inching closer to the championship title.

 

PM sends letter to football team ahead of AFF Cup finals

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 8 sent a letter to encourage the national football team before their participation in the final first leg against Malaysia in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018.

 

Source: NDO