Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines have booked their places in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 with the conclusion of the group stage action on Saturday.
While reigning champions Thailand came out on top in a five-goal thriller against Cambodia to progress with four wins out of four matches in Group A, Vietnam scored five past Myanmar to finish at the top of Group B.
ASEAN United FC has picked four goals that stood out from the final set of group stage fixtures and lets you, the fans, decide the best among the lot by voting at the bottom of the article.
Chalermsak Aukkee (vs Cambodia)
Thailand centre-back Chalermsak Aukkee scored his side’s third goal that proved to be the winner against Cambodia at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Friday and it was a finish that any striker in the world would be proud of.
The 30-year-old defender was afforded enough time and space at the far post to meet a Weerathep Pomphun corner with a sumptuous volley that beat Reth Ly Heng at his near post and secured a 3-2 win for the holders, who will now face the Philippines in the knockout stage.
Abdel Kader Coulibaly (vs Thailand)
Abdel Kader Coulibaly scored Cambodia’s first goal of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ in a 2-2 draw with Malaysia in their opener and also their last as they bowed out of the competition following the defeat to Thailand, returning home with four points from as many matches.
Trailing the Thais 3-1 in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, Hikaru Mizuno knocked down a long ball onto the path of Coulibaly, who finished it first time on the bounce past Thai goalkeeper Kampon Phatomakkakul to salvage some pride for Koji Gyotoku’s side.
Nguyen Xuan Son (vs Myanmar)
Nguyen Xuan Son made a dream start to his international career as he put in a man-of-the-match performance with two goals and two assists on his Vietnam debut as the Golden Star Warriors beat Myanmar 5-0 at Viet Tri Stadium.
Xuan Son had already made a big impact in the game after bagging his maiden international goal, but his best moment came in the 90th minute. The 27-year-old headed down a long ball towards Nguyen Tien Linh, latched onto the return pass, left Oakkar Naing on the floor, switched the ball onto his left foot to take out another defender and fired a bullet into the back of the net for an eye-catching goal.
Nguyen Tien Linh (vs Myanmar)
Nguyen Tien Linh came off the bench in Vietnam’s final group contest and collected a goal and an assist in under half an hour on the field in Phu Tho as Kim Sang-sik’s side sailed into the semi-finals as Group B winners.
Some good hold-up play from Nguyen Xuan Son started the move with the Vietnamese attacker then playing a through ball to send his teammate clear in behind the Myanmar defence. Tien Linh slotted his shot past goalkeeper Pyae Phyo Thu into the bottom corner to seal the 5-0 victory.
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