AFF C’ship: Vietnam fails to dethrone Thailand in battle of regional powerhouses

Vietnam had its chances, but nevertheless failed to dethrone Thailand, as the War Elephants claimed their second straight title in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022. 

The tournament, which is also known as the AFF Championship, started on December 20 and only concluded after almost four weeks. 

The finals, which saw regional powerhouses Vietnam and Thailand faced each other, was a two-legged affair that went down-the-wire.

It was also notable for being played in-front of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, AFF President Khiev Sameth, Football Association of Thailand (FAT) President Somyot Poompanmoung, Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Tran Quoc Tuan and other officials from the aforementioned organisations. Thai government officials and other dignitaries were also seen in the VIP section of the stadium. 

“Congratulation to Thailand on their win and well done to Vietnam on reaching the final. I am delighted to be here to watch this match, played in an amazing atmosphere. Regional tournaments such as this play a key role in supporting national team football, and they give teams such as Thailand and Vietnam the chance to play more competitive matches, which is crucial in helping football develop globally,” Infantino said, in remarks published by fifa.com. 

“As I saw tonight, this region has such a fanatical interest in following football, and we want to transfer this passion into positive results on the field. This is why FIFA supports talent development across the world, to support the next generation of players, girls and boys, and to create the platform for them to compete on the global stage,” he added. 

Tight battle to the end

The first game between the two championship contenders, which was played at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, ended in a 2-2 draw. 

Vietnam pulled ahead early on goal by striker Nguyen Tien Linh. Forward Poramet Arjvirai scored the equaliser three minutes into the second half. Midfielder Sarach Yooyen gave Thailand the lead in the 63^rd minute, before right-back Vu Van Thanh tied it once again in the 88^th minute. 

The second game, this time played at the Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, was also close. But Thailand came better prepared, winning the match, 1-0. Thailand won the title due to superior aggregate score, 3-2. 

The first 20 minutes was a see-saw battle, with the two teams exchanging missed opportunities at the goal. 

Led by Brazilian-German coach Alexandre Polking, Thailand started to recover from their earlier stumbles to erect a 1-0 lead, thanks to a timely goal from midfielder Theerathon Bunmathan in the 24^th minute.

Before that fateful moment, the Thai starters were struggling to pierce the Vietnamese backline anchored by centre-back Đỗ Duy Mạnh.

The Vietnamese side fought back to no avail. Striker Pham Tuan Hai led a second-half attack that petered out in-front of the goal. That was the closest for Vietnam to score a goal the entire game.

Thailand overcomes adversity en-route to 7^th AFF title

Thailand beat back a strong semi-finals challenge from Malaysia to reach the finals. Vietnam, meanwhile, scored an upset win over powerhouse Indonesia in the semis. 

Thailand struggled in the first round of the tournament, before scoring an all-important win over Cambodia in the final match of the group stage.

Cambodia and Thailand both belong to Group A, which also included Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei. Group B, meanwhile, was composed of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos and Myanmar. 

The top two finishers from each group qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. 

Thailand, which already has seven AFF titles to its name, was the defending champion. Thailand also won the same tournament in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016 and 2020.

Vietnam, meanwhile, won the AFF Championship in 2008 and 2018. 

The first edition of the biennial regional tournament was staged in 1996.

To Read About Semi final AFF Championship.