Football

Defender Nguyễn Hồng Phúc celebrates after he scores the fourth goal for Việt Nam during the semi-final match between Việt Nam and Malaysia of the AFF U23 Championship on August 24 in Thailand. Photos of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn finally managed a smile after his Việt Nam team earned a place in the final of the AFF U23 Championship.

Việt Nam beat Malaysia 4-1 in the semi-final on August 24 in Rayong Province, Thailand, to advance to the gold-medal match, completing their mission set prior to the tournament.

The reigning champions will play Indonesia, who beat title favourites Thailand 3-1 in the second semi-final.

The final will take place at 8pm on August 26.

"I am happy with the win and the way my players reached the final," Tuấn told reporters at the post-match conference.

"I told them our target was to make the final. Now, we are in the final so we will have to concentrate for that match."

Tuấn kept smiling during the conference. His attitude was totally different to that expressed in two previous briefings.

Coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn of Việt Nam was happy his team reached their set target. Việt Nam beat Malaysia 4-1 to advance to the final.

He said Việt Nam carefully analysed the young Harimau Malaya and found that they were not good in one-on-one and two-on-two situations. Vietnamese players showed good performance in this match. When Việt Nam played in attack the Malaysian could not resist the defending champions' attempts.

"My football philosophy is good ball control and strong attacks. Players are asked to be proactive and agile. They have not made it in these three matches but it is alright, they will get better step by step," said Tuấn.

Meanwhile coach Elangowan Elavarasan of Malaysia said: “We made too many mistakes in the first half and allowed Việt Nam to score three goals. That was the problem for us in the game.”

Tuấn and his assistants were in the stands to watch the match between Thailand and Indonesia. He said his team first needed a good sleep after the semis and then they would spend time to research and analysis their final opponent. VNS