ESPN names Vietnam as top title favourites at AFF Suzuki Cup

Vietnam have been named as the favourites for the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup championship trophy as John Duerden, an ESPN correspondent, issued his Group A preview in an article recently published on the website www.espn.com.au.

Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam is said to be Vietnam's key man for the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup by an ESPN writer.
Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam is said to be Vietnam's key man for the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup by an ESPN writer.

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The author stated that Thailand’s lack of key players in their 2018 AFF Cup squad has opened up the opportunity for Vietnam, coached by Park Hang-seo, to claim the overall title for the second time.

“With Thailand without many of their biggest stars, Vietnam have moved from second favourites to the front-runner. Park has introduced a more pragmatic style to the ‘Golden Stars’ and they should be harder to beat than before,” he said.

The ESPN writer also spoke highly of Vietnam’s current squad, which features many outstanding players who impressed at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship Finals and the 2018 Asian Games.

However, surprisingly enough, he chose goalkeeper Dang Van Lam as Vietnam’s key man instead of popular faces such as Cong Phuong, Quang Hai, Xuan Truong and Van Quyet.

Writing about the Hai Phong FC goalie, the author affirmed that Dang Van Lam is the no. 1 keeper in Vietnam at the moment and is set to be the no. 1 for a number of years.

“Vietnam have plenty of attacking and creative talent and, if things are tight at the back, there is a real chance of a repeat of Vietnam’s 2008 AFF Cup success,” he said.