HANOI – Despite failing to hang on till the end on Friday night, Thailand still have the advantage after drawing 2-2 with Vietnam in the first leg of their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship final at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.
The War Elephants, who are seeking their seventh title, succumbed to an 88th-minute Vu Van Thanh equaliser.
But they are heading back to Thailand for Monday’s second leg with confidence because of the away-goals rule.
Just like in their semi-final against Malaysia in which they had to fight back to win 3-0 to overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit, the defending champions again found themselves conceding first, after just 24 minutes.
Vietnam started the match strongly, with Nguyen Quang Hai and Pham Tuan Hai having their shots saved.
The pair also missed with attempts in the first 10 minutes. But they finally found the breakthrough in the 24th minute.
Then, Nguyen Tien Linh scored with a header from the centre of the box, assisted by a cross from Que Ngoc Hai.
The two-time champions, who beat Thailand in the 2008 final, went into the break 1-0 up.
The visitors, however, started the second half with all guns blazing.
They made it 1-1 in the 48th minute, after Poramet Arjvirai found the net following a through ball from Theerathon Bunmathan.
Theerathon was again the provider when he teed up Sarach Yooyen to strike from just outside the box past the hour mark.
In a match where Thailand had 46.5 per cent possession and one shot fewer on target than Vietnam’s six, a win would be the best gift for Alexandre Polking’s men.
But it was not to be.
With just two minutes left in regulation time, the Thais failed to clear a corner and Thanh hit a stunner from outside the area that flew straight into the bottom corner.
Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo was so thrilled that he repeatedly punched the air in delight.
The South Korean had said pre-match that this final is a chance for “redemption” as he had lost just one match against Thailand in the AFF Championship in his five years in charge – in the first leg of the 2020 semi-finals.
The 65-year-old, who will leave the team after the tournament, will know that there will be much more work to be done on Monday if he wants to depart on a high.
