It was a time for heroes to rise up as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 entered the knockout stages with the semi-finals of the regional showpiece producing two entertaining first legs on Thursday and Friday.
While reigning champions Thailand suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Philippines at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Friday, Vietnam produced a late resurgence to record a 2-0 win against a valiant Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium a day earlier.
ASEAN United FC presents a player from each of the four sides in the semi-finals and lets you, the fans, decide who will be named the best player from the first legs of the last-four clashes by voting at the bottom of the article.
Nguyen Xuan Son (Vietnam)
Nguyen Xuan Son introduced himself to international football in spectacular fashion as he bagged two goals and two assists in his Vietnam debut as the Golden Star Warriors defeated Myanmar 5-0 in their final group stage fixture to progress to the knockout stages as Group B winners.
The 27-year-old striker had a stunner ruled out for handball by the VAR in the 84th minute before he played a key role in opening up a resolute Singapore defence 11 minutes into second-half stoppage time. Xuan Son applied enough pressure on Shakir Hamzah to earn a penalty and Nguyen Tien Linh converted from the spot to pull them ahead.
The Brazilian-born attacker then finally wrote his name into the scoresheet as he turned home a Nguyen Hoang Duc corner which was flicked onto him by Pham Xuan Manh three minutes later to give Vietnam a two-goal cushion heading into the return leg.
Lionel Tan (Singapore)
Lionel Tan has established himself as a rock in the middle of the Singapore defence ever since making his international bow with a goalscoring debut against Hong Kong, China in a friendly last year. Though he also scored in his next appearance against Macau, it is the solidity he brings to the backline that has made him a mainstay.
The 27-year-old defender has been in fine form in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 and was at the top of his game as the Lions went neck-and-neck with 2018 champions Vietnam in the semi-final first leg in their bid to win their first title since 2012.
But after Vietnam scored twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-0 win, Singapore will rely on the services of Tan again in the return leg to keep things tight at the back as Tsutomu Ogura’s side look to overturn a two-goal deficit at Viet Tri Stadium.
Sandro Reyes (Philippines)
Sandro Reyes is turning into the standout star for the Philippines as they look to win their first-ever ASEAN Championship title. Albert Capellas’ side have already made a mark on the tournament as they put behind back-to-back group stage exits to reach their first semi-final since 2018.
And in the first leg of the last-four contest on Friday, Reyes delivered when it mattered for his nation as he scored the opening goal against defending champions Thailand by planting a left-foot strike from outside the box into the back of the net as his second goal of the tournament sent the Philippines on their way to an important 2-1 victory in Manila.
With a challenging second-leg clash against the Thais coming up in Bangkok, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder, who plies his trade in Germany, will need to pull the strings once more in the middle to take his side through to the title clash come Monday.
Suphanat Mueanta (Thailand)
Much of Thailand’s attacking moves have come through Suphanat Mueanta at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 as the War Elephants look to secure an unprecedented three ASEAN Championship titles on the spin.
The 22-year-old, who scored three goals and bagged four assists in the group stage, was once again a key cog in Masatada Ishii’s side as he led the counter-attack from which Thailand equalised against the Philippines just before the break. Suphanat then almost gave the Thais the lead at the start of the second half when his shot rattled the woodwork.
But Thailand will now have an anxious wait to see if their talented attacker will be fit in time for the crucial second leg contest at Rajamangala Stadium after he was substituted in the 64th minute in Manila after picking up what looked like an injury to his left ankle.
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