The first leg on Thursday saw fierce competition between the two sides, with Thailand effectively utilising opportunities to take a two-goal lead before halftime.
Vietnam came close to scoring several times, but the woodwork prevented them from turning things around by denying two wonderful attempts by Nguyen Quang Hai.
“Both teams were under psychological pressure. Unfortunately, the first goal came too early and in too easy a manner”, Park told reporters after the match.
“Van Thanh and Hong Duy fulfilled their roles well. Of course, they made some mistakes, but that’s football,” the Korean coach defended the two players who were said to have played below par during the Thursday game.
The first-leg defeat has put Vietnam on the lower hand in the race for a ticket to the title decider. Despite that fact, Park still voiced belief that his side would reverse the situation in the second leg.
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Vietnam (in red) are denied twice by the woodwork during their match against the Thais. (Photo: VFF)
“The two-goal deficit can be leveled at any time. I will discuss with the players and work out plans for the return leg. Vietnam have enough strength to reset the game,” he said.
When asked about the refereeing work in the match with Thailand, Park refused to get drawn into some relevant controversial moments.
“I don’t wish to talk about the referee. I just recommend that we should apply the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the next tournament to support the referee in making the correct decisions.”
The second leg of the AFF Cup semi-final between Vietnam and Thailand is set to take place at Singapore’s National Stadium at 7.30pm on December 26.
