>> Vietnam beat Laos 2-0 in AFF Suzuki Cup opener
Vietnam remained the dominant side throughout the entire 90 minutes at Singapore’s Bishan Stadium, regarding both the share of ball possession and the number of opportunities.
Nguyen Cong Phuong put the reigning champions ahead after 26 minutes before Phan Van Duc added a second goal a few minutes after the interval to seal them a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
“I am pleased with the 2-0 result. Some players could not feature due to the injuries from the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign, so we had to make adjustments in a number of positions,” Park told reporters after the Lao match.
The opening triumph has given Vietnam second place in Group B, behind Malaysia regarding the number of goals for. The two teams will meet each other in a much-anticipated match this December 12.
Asked about the winning possibility against Malaysia, Park said the Malaysia clash is like a final match, stating that his side will have to deliver their best.
“We will have a few days off before the meeting with Malaysia. I will rest the players tomorrow. Today I had watched Malaysia’s game. We will have to give our best to achieve the desired result,” the Republic of Korean coach said.
Vietnam’s victory against Laos had been predicted. In their previous meetings, Vietnam won nine and drew once, while scoring 44 goals and conceding just three.
Most recently in the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, Vietnam beat Laos 3-0 en route to their overall championship title.
