AFF Suzuki Cup 2018

National squad have first training session in Bacolod, targeting a win in semis first leg

The national squad had their first training in the Philippines city of Bacolod on November 29, a day after arriving in the country to prepare for the upcoming first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 semi-final match with the hosts on Sunday.

Vietnam are aiming for a full three points against hosts Philippines at their upcoming first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 semi-final match with the hosts on Sunday. (Photo: VFF)
Vietnam are aiming for a full three points against hosts Philippines at their upcoming first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 semi-final match with the hosts on Sunday. (Photo: VFF)

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Despite having to play away, the team are confident in heading towards a win in their next important clash.

According to the Vietnam Football Federation, coach Hang-seo only allowed the media to be active within the first 20 minutes of the training. Apart from professional issues, the Korean strategist wants his players to limit their contact to the media to have their maximum concentration on the pitch.

For the practice yesterday, the squad was arranged to train in the best field in Bacolod, about 20-minute drive from the team’s hotel. It is also the main training ground of the leading club in the Philippines - Ceres Negros – formerly the AFC Cup opponents of multiple players of Hanoi FC who are currently present in the national team, including defender Duy Manh.

Defender Duy Manh affirms the team’s determination to look for a win against the Philippines. (Photo: VFF)

Sharing more about the information in an interview before the training, Duy Manh said his Hanoi team had a chance to play in Bacolod with Ceres Negros at the AFC Cup, so the experience and information about the field would be helpful for the preparation ahead of the semis. "Bacolod is just a small province in the Philippines, so the field’s quality here is almost the best they can offer. As a professional player, we must try to adapt to all conditions to play well," said Duy Manh.

Commenting on their opponents, Duy Manh said that they are a strong team with multiple naturalised players with superior physical form and fitness. Therefore, Vietnam should be highly concentrated and have a reasonable approach to play the best possible.

"The squad will have special tactics for the Philippines. Many say we should look for a draw and wait for the return leg. But in football, the goal is to win," Duy Manh emphasised on the team’s target for a full three points.

The team will have their next training this afternoon, before entering the clash with the hosts at Panaad Stadium on December 2. The return leg will take place at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi four days later and all 25,000 online tickets for the match have been sold out, the VFF has said.

The VFF sold tickets via websites vebongdaonline.vn, vebongonline.com.vn, ticketonline.vff.org.vn and vebongda.vff.org.vn, starting at 10am on November 28. However, due to the heavy volume of buyers accessing the websites at one time, the system became overloaded.

At 10am on November 28, there were 130,000 people accessing the websites at one time. After that, there were around 45,000-50,000 people.

According to Le Hoai Anh, VFF’s General Secretary, the online sales system only accepted 10,000 people at a time. When that number was exceeded, the websites would be blocked.