Football

HÀ NỘI — Sanna Khánh Hoà coach Võ Đình Tân said his players will be ready to defeat Cambodian Boeungket Angkor at the Toyota Mekong Cup 2017 at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium tonight.

Speaking with reporters at a press briefing yesterday Tân said his team had prepared well for the tournament which was their first international competition ever.

“It is our first time at an international event and we are really excited. We have set our mind to play our best, not only for the club’s pride but also for the image of Việt Nam’s football,” Tân said.

The coach said he watched several matches of Boeungket Angkor and found that the team had quality foreigners. Therefore, it would be a hard task of Sanna Khánh Hòa who are Việt Nam’s No 6 team.

"We have a team that has many young players who just finished the V. League last month. It is difficult to talk about the result but we will play as we play in the V. League," Tân added.

Goalkeeper Nguyễn Tuấn Mạnh also spoke at the briefing yesterday.

He said that he has twice faced Cambodian clubs and saw their strong determination in all games.

“Their tactics are not very special but we should learn from their spirit in every match. They played with a strong mind and great determination from the beginning to the end of the match,” the national team member said.

Boeungket Angkor who will take part in the Cup for the third time defeated Việt Nam’s former champions Becamex Bình Dương 3-2 in 2015. That is all coach Hao Socheat knew ahead of his travel to Việt Nam.

He said his squad may face difficulties against Sanna Khánh Hòa.

Socheat said Sanna Khánh Hoà were not a high-profile team in Việt Nam. They were not as well-known as Becamex Bình Dương so he had no information.

Boeungket Angkor brought to Hà Nội their strongest line-up with three national team members and some others who played in Europe.

His players are stronger than they were two years ago but have had only a week’s practice for the game. So, the game would not be easy at all, he said.

Meanwhile, Captain Khuon Laboravy was confident of taking away another win from Việt Nam.

He said his team wanted a win although they had not had much time to prepare for the game because their league had not finished yet. But their target was a victory.

Brazilian striker Calijuri Maycon said it was cold in Hà Nội but with his six-year experience in Europe it would not be a big problem that could stop his team from winning against Sanna Khánh Hòa.

Last year, Boeungket Angkor entered the semi-finals where they lost 0-3 to ???. In 2015, they were defeated 0-1 to Thailand’s Buriram United in the final.

The second leg match will be on December 13 at the Olympic Stadium in Cambodia.

The winners will face Lao Toyota FC (Lào) in the semi-finals at the National Stadium in Vientiane four days later.

The two-leg final will be on December 23, 2017, and January 6, 2018 with the participation of the semi-final winner and defending champions Muangthong Utd of Thailand.

The championship winners will walk away with a purse of US$75,000 while the first runners-up receives $50,000.

Organisers will also present prizes to the best player of a match and best player of the tournament.

All matches will be aired live on FOX Sport Asia. Game(s) in Việt Nam will be broadcast on VTV6 channel. — VNS