Nam Định FC forward Nguyễn Xuân Son is ready to put a shine back on his scoring boots as the Vietnamese club look to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ semi-final against Selangor FC at Thiên Trường Stadium on Wednesday.
Xuân Son, a Brazilian-born Vietnam international, cut a forlorn figure following a first leg 2-1 defeat at Selangor a week ago but he is ready to redeem himself as he looks to increase his current seven-goal tally in the regional club competition.
“We want to win tomorrow because we want to give this gift to the fans and to the club,” he said.
“For us, it feels like a final rather than a semi-final. I am very excited. The preparation has gone very well and I think everyone is ready. The support from our fans is very important. Tomorrow, we want to show the quality of this club and the coaching staff have prepared the team very well. I am very excited and hopefully I can score goals tomorrow.”
In three home games in the group phase, Nam Định were undefeated, winning two matches and drawing 1-1 with Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, the other Malaysian club who travel to Shopee Cup™ defending champions Buriram United FC looking to overturn a 3-1 first leg defeat.
Xuan Son, who returned to action several months ago following a serious leg injury, believes home advantage will serve his team well. “I think the conditions in Malaysia were difficult because of the heavy rain, so it affected the game a little. Tomorrow we are playing at home, where we feel very comfortable. Everything is set up for us to play a good match,” he said.
Head coach Vũ Hồng Việt has spent time in training sharpening his strike force but knows the importance of maintaining their concentration against a Selangor side who can cause havoc through last week’s two-goal hero Chrigor Moraes and captain Faisal Halim.
“In the first leg, we had two key problems. The first was our efficiency in scoring, and the second was our concentration, which allowed Selangor to score. I believe my players are going to show better efficiency in front of goal,” said Hồng Việt.
“A one-goal difference is still a very fragile margin. We are going to give everything to score at least two goals and advance to the final.”
Selangor defender Safuwan Baharudin is ready to face the cauldron at Nam Định where he is tipped to partner Mamadou Diarra in central defence again after successfully curtailing the threat from Xuân Son last week.
“We know how dangerous they are. I have had several duels with Xuân Son before and I think he is one of the best attackers I have faced. This competition is the biggest stage in the region and both teams are here to showcase their quality. In football, any team can take the opportunity,” said Safuwan, who is a Singapore international.
Selangor head coach Kim Pan-gon knows the best form of defence will be to attack as the Korean tactician seeks to outsmart his counterpart Hồng Việt once again. He will be counting on Chrigor and Faisal to be on the front foot from the opening whistle.
“A one-goal lead is not safe enough for us, so scoring another goal is very important to our strategy. From the beginning of the match, we will look for another goal to make the situation safer for us, even though we are playing away.
“We have told our attackers that scoring early is important. We must be balanced in both attack and defence. We expect Nam Định to attack strongly because they are playing at home and have that advantage. We have prepared for that.”
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