Park Hang-seo: “Tomorrow’s match will be a battle without regrets for Vietnam”

Southeast Asia’s two top-ranked teams will meet again tomorrow in a decisive match for a place in the final.

After losing 0-2 in the first leg, Vietnam are heading into the Sunday clash knowing that they must beat the War Elephants by a margin of at least two goals in order to seize any chance of keeping their title defence campaign alive.

“The 0-2 defeat made things difficult for Vietnam. However, we will do our best. I asked the players to continue to fully fulfil their roles and approach the match calmly, not in a hurry,” Park told reporters during a pre-match press briefing on Saturday.

“Actually, we don't know how Thailand will approach the game right now. They may keep the first-leg squad or make some adjustments. My job is to prepare options to deal with their changes. Even though we are trailing two goals behind, we will still maintain our fighting spirit as well as our playing style,” the Korean coach stated.

Speaking at the briefing, midfielder Luong Xuan Truong admitted the 2-0 deficit was not easy to come back from, but stated that it is not an impossible mission.

“We will definitely do everything to score at least two goals in tomorrow’s match,” he affirmed.

The return leg of the Vietnam-Thailand semi-final will take place at Singapore’s National Stadium at 7.30pm on December 26.