Malaysia, led by coach Kim Pan-gon (pictured), failed to advance to the final of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup in the first leg of the Vietnam-Thailand final on the 13th . Although the final confrontation between the Korean coaching towers was canceled, coach Park Hang-seo took the opportunity to take revenge on Vietnam on the farewell stage about a year ago. On the night of the 10th (Korean time), Malaysia lost 0-3 to Thailand in the away match in the second leg of the semifinals held at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Malaysia won the first leg home game 1-0, but lost 1-3 on the aggregate of the first and second legs, giving Thailand a ticket to the final. Malaysia won the runner-up in the 2018 competition, but was eliminated from the group stage in the 2021 competition (postponed for one year due to Corona 19). However, in January of last year, coach Kim was appointed and the atmosphere changed, and the team returned to the tournament stage.
According to Bernama News, manager Kim blamed himself for the loss in a press conference after the game. “I have no complaints or regrets,” he said. “The players played hard and followed my instructions. He fought until the end,” he said. “The problems related to (defeat) came from me. Tactics, strategy, and lineup composition are my responsibility, not the players,” he said. “All decisions were made by me. You can criticize me, you can attack me, but you shouldn’t do that to the players.” 토토사이트
As coach Kim’s Malaysia finished the tournament in the semifinals, the final match between the Korean coaches was aborted. The previous day, Vietnam, led by coach Park, advanced to the final by defeating Indonesia, led by coach Taeyong Shin. The AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand was the first in 14 years since December 2008, and at that time Vietnam rose to the top. The finals will be played home and away, with the first leg held in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 13th and the second leg held in Pathum Thani, Thailand on the 16th.
Coach Park’s contract with Vietnam expires at the end of this tournament, ending his 5-year partnership. After taking office as Vietnam’s command tower in September 2017, coach Park attracted attention by winning runner-up in the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Championship, and in December 2018, he reached the top of the AFF Cup and was reborn as a national hero in Vietnam. In the last AFF Cup semifinals held in December 2021, coach Park lost to Thailand 0-2 in total in the first and second games, and on the final stage, he had a chance to take revenge from a year ago. Immediately after the semifinals, coach Park expressed strong confidence, saying, “Vietnamese players are one step above other Southeast Asian teams.”