Vietnam registered an impressive 2-1 victory against defending champions Thailand in the first leg to give themselves the upper hand heading into the return meeting of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 final in Bangkok on Sunday.
Some of the biggest names in Southeast Asian football have etched their name into the history books with great displays in the final of the ASEAN Championship and more will be hoping to find their place among the legends as the 15th edition of the tournament comes to an exciting conclusion this weekend.
ASEAN United FC takes a look at two players who impressed for each of the finalists and lets you, the fans, pick the best player from the first leg of the title clash by voting at the bottom of the article.
Nguyen Xuan Son (Vietnam)
As is fast becoming customary, Nguyen Xuan Son was once again the standout star in Vietnam’s success as they defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first leg – a result that will give them plenty of confidence in their bid to avenge the War Elephants for the heartbreaking defeat in the 2022 title clash.
Xuan Son drew first blood at Viet Tri Stadium with a header in the 59th minute before his brilliant individual goal in the 73rd minute allowed Kim Sang-sik’s side to assert their control over the defending champions and have one hand on the Golden Boot award.
The double in the first leg took Xuan Son’s tally to seven goals from only four matches in his fledgling Vietnam career and Thailand will need to devise a plan to keep the Brazilian-born striker quiet if they have to stand any chance of retaining their ASEAN Championship title come Sunday.
Patiwat Khammai (Thailand)
Buoyed by the support from their fans at Viet Tri Stadium, Vietnam were relentless in their attacks against Thailand in the first leg – with the Golden Star Warriors registering a whopping 21 attempts during the 90 minutes against the reigning champions, of which nine shots were on target.
But keeping Thailand in the game was their goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai who made an incredible seven saves to keep the score respectable for the visitors and give them a fighting chance to secure a hat-trick of ASEAN Championship titles when the two teams meet again in Bangkok in the return leg.
The 30-year-old saved from a Xuan Son effort as early as the fourth minute before an acrobatic stop to deny Vietnam captain Nguyen Quang Hai in the second half. Patiwat also denied Xuan Son in a one-on-one situation in the 65th minute before three further good saves during the close stages to keep the score at 2-1.
Vu Van Thanh (Vietnam)
Fans of ASEAN football will not forget Vu Van Thanh’s thunderbolt that levelled the first leg of the 2022 final between Vietnam and Thailand at 2-2 in the 88th minute in Hanoi. And the 28-year-old full-back was again at the top of his game two years later against the same opposition in Phu Tho on Thursday.
Playing in the right wing-back role, Van Thanh was a constant menace for the Thailand defence from the get-go as he was at the end of two of Vietnam’s early chances and set the mood for the evening. In the sixth minute, he couldn’t keep down his shot from close range before flashing a volley just inches wide of the Thai goal three minutes later.
But his biggest contribution of the first leg came in the 59th minute as the two-time champions opened the scoring. Van Thanh met a Quang Hai cross to head it back across the goal for Xuan Son to score an easy header and give Vietnam a deserved and pivotal lead in the contest.
Suphanat Mueanta (Thailand)
Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii gave Supahant Mueanta some much-deserved downtime in the first leg of the final, but with Vietnam taking the lead at Viet Tri Stadium, the 22-year-old was the one the Japanese tactician turned to as he was brought on two minutes after the Thais conceded the opener.
It proved to be an important substitution for the War Elephants as Suphanat almost halved the two-goal deficit in the 81st minute when he curled a free-kick from 25 yards over the defensive wall only for his effort to hit the underside of the crossbar and stay out.
However, only two minutes later, the Thai youngster delivered the cross from which centre-back Chalermsak Aukkee headed home in the 83rd minute. Though an equaliser failed to materialise, Thailand will hope that another Suphanat masterclass in Bangkok in the second leg will take them over the finish line in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™.
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