Vietnamese players celebrate a goal against Indoensia in the semi-finals. Việt Nam will face Thailand in the finals of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022. Photo vietnamplus.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — After battling their way through the tournament, the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 will reach a thrilling climax when arch-rivals Việt Nam and Thailand go head-to-head for the chance to be crowned regional champions.

Việt Nam will play the first leg final against Thailand, who beat Malaysia 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium at 7.30pm on January 13. After that, the two teams will play again in the second leg final at Thammasat Stadium at 7.30 pm on January 16.

In the history of the AFF Cup, Việt Nam and Thailand had only met in the finals once, in 2008, when Việt Nam were crowned champions for the first time.

Thailand currently has the most AFF Cup titles (formerly known as Tiger Cup), having won six times, while the Vietnamese team have only won twice.

This will be coach Park's swansong with the national side. Under his tutelage, Việt Nam have only beaten Thailand at a youth level or in friendly tournaments.

Việt Nam defeated Thailand 1-0 in the friendly King's Cup 2019. At the M-150 friendly tournament in Buriram in 2017, Việt Nam's U23 overcame Thailand 2-1. This was coach Park's first tournament in charge.

Việt Nam's largest victory against Thailand came at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers when Việt Nam beat Thailand 4-0. In 2019, Việt Nam's U22 side drew with Thailand 2-2 in the group stage at the SEA Games 30 in the Philippines.

At the national team level, the two sides in the second qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup, ended in 0-0 draws. 

Most recently, at the AFF Cup 2020 in the Philippines, thanks to Chanathip Songkrasin, Thailand defeated Việt Nam in the semi-finals, winning 2-0 in the first leg and drawing 0-0 in the second leg.

Thailand are considered the strongest opponent in Southeast Asia. However, this Vietnamese side are on a fine run of form and have yet to concede in the tournament. Thailand are also missing key players, including Chanathip Songkrasin.

The upcoming finals are an opportunity for coach Park to surpass his colleague Alexandre Polking and bring home the trophy as the goal Việt Nam set.

Speaking after the win against Malaysia on Tuesday, Polking said that the trip to Mỹ Đình Stadium on January 13 would be very important after his team had two lessons in Indonesia and Malaysia.

"The last two away games are our lessons, making us stronger than before. We also need to fix our mistakes. The first match against Indonesia, we got a red card, making our situation difficult. In the match against Malaysia, we played well but couldn't score. Hopefully, we will do a good job in the next important match with Việt Nam," Polking said. VNS