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| Vietnam have won the 2024 ASEAN Championship after a thrilling 3-2 win over Thailand on Sunday saw them prevail 5-3 on aggregate in the two-legged final. SPORTFIVE |
In what was expected to be an ASEAN Championship final that would go down to the wire, the drama of extra-time and penalties ultimately was not required.
Nonetheless, that did not stop the two finalists from combining to produce a sheer heart-stopper on Sunday -- as Vietnam prevailed in an epic second leg with a 3-2 win over Thailand at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium to win their third regional crown with a 5-3 aggregate triumph.
Leading 2-1 from Thursday's first leg, Vietnam might have been forgiven had they opted for a conservative approach in the return encounter but it was they who struck first through a neat finish by Phạm Tuấn Hải.
The hosts would duly respond and levelled the aggregate score through goals from Ben Davis and Supachok Sarachat -- the latter in controversial fashion.
But after Vietnam edged back ahead late on through a Pansa Hemviboon own-goal, Thailand's last-ditch bid to stay alive would pave the way for Nguyễn Hai Long to seal the triumph with a coolly-taken 50-yard effort right at the death.
The result saw Vietnam exact revenge on their familiar foes after the 2022 final produced the opposite outcome, with Thailand also denied an unprecedented third consecutive title.
And while Vietnam were arguably the pre-tournament favourites given they boasted, on paper at least, the most formidable squad, they still had to overcome their fair share of adversity to taste the ultimate success.
There was no bigger hurdle than what eventuated in the 33rd minute on Sunday although, by then, two goals had already flown in at Rajamangala.
After just eight minutes, with many expecting Thailand to start on the front foot, Vietnam drew first blood when a long ball from the back eluded Jonathan Khemdee's attempt at a headed clearance and was allowed to bounce inside the opposition area -- with Tuấn Hải reacting quickest to lift his shot over a stranded Patiwat Khammai.
The inevitable Thailand reply arrived in the 28th minute when their high press saw Doãn Ngọc Tân give away possession on the edge of his own area, allowing Davis to coolly stroke a bending effort from all of 25 yards beyond Nguyễn Đình Triệu's despairing dive and into the bottom corner.
Just five minutes later, disaster looked to have struck for Vietnam.
In what looked to be a self-inflicted injury that has since been suspected as an anterior cruciate ligament tear, star man Rafaelson had to be stretchered off after his knee buckled under his full weight as he looked to break free down the right.
Rafaelson, who only made his international debut in their final group-stage match and already had seven goals from just four matches prior to Sunday, was undeniably their most-influential player.
He had already looked poised to singlehandedly win them the tournament, and he would eventually claim both Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer awards, which his teammates accepted on his behalf while holding up his jersey after he had been conveyed to hospital.
With their main threat gone, Thailand's spirits rose even higher.
From the end of the first half to the beginning of the restart, Thailand began to really probe at the Vietnam defence with only some desperate defending keeping them at bay.
When the War Elephants eventually edged ahead on the night, however, it came amid real controversy.
There was initially huge confusion but replays would ultimately show that, after Đình Triệu had hurled the ball straight out of play presumably so an injured player could receive treatment, Thailand opted not to return possession from the throw-in.
Instead, Supachok would advance towards goal and unleash a stunning 35-yard effort that had the Vietnam custodian beaten all ends up.
The Vietnamese camp went livid. There even appeared to be a VAR check to assess the legitimacy of the strike.
After he went to both coaches to explain his interpretation of events, referee Ko Hyung-Jin signalled that the goal was allowed to stand.
At this point, there appeared every chance that Vietnam would let their tempers boil over. In years gone by, it just might have.
Yet, while the challenges started to get a little later and tastier, it was Thailand who found themselves down to ten men in the 74th minute when Weerathep Pomphan received his second booking for clattering into Vũ Văn Thanh.
He might even have been penalised two seconds earlier for cynically dragging Nguyễn Quang Hải back by the collar.
Vietnam definitely would have felt justice had prevailed eight minutes later as they reclaimed the aggregate lead courtesy of an own-goal from the luckless Pansa.
After a clever shuffle of his feet saw Quang Hải break free on the edge of the box, he selflessly opted against firing away and instead shifted the ball out wide to Tuấn Hải.
While his shot was weak, Pansa -- for so long the role model and stoic statesman of the Thailand team -- opted to stick out a leg to intervene and only succeeded in prodding the ball past Patiwat to his horror.
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| Just eight months after taking on the job, Kim Sang-Sik has followed in the footsteps of South Korean compatriot Park Hang-Seo by leading Vietnam to ASEAN Championship glory. SPORTFIVE |
Still, Thailand were never going to go away quietly. They were, after all, not only the defending champions but the tournament's record seven-time winners.
The ever-enterprising Suphanan Bureerat smashed an effort off the bar in the final minute of regulation time, before Pansa -- in his quest for redemption -- narrowly failed to find an unmarked Seksan Ratree with a flick-on header after venturing forward.
Another high ball into the Vietnam area caused all sorts of pandemonium but Seksan could only drill his shot straight into a defender who was fortuitously in the way after his feet had given way.
15 minutes of added time had been signalled. The tie was now into its 110th minute.
In one final attempt to keep the tie alive, Thailand sent Patiwat up for the corner.
Vietnam cleared - and then had the nerve to think their way through the situation. After riding a challenge, Hai Long would proceed to send a low effort from almost the halfway line towards Thailand's unguarded goal.
Almost poetically, the ball seemed to take an eternity to roll towards the back of the net. Defenders were scampering back but they were never going to get there.
When the ball finally crossed the line, Vietnam knew they were champions of Southeast Asia once more.
To further highlight the significance of the feat, Thailand had only previously lost once on home soil in the tournament. It was also in the final -- the first leg on that occasion -- and it was against Vietnam in 2008.
That year, the Vietnamese would lift the trophy for the first time.
16 years on, they have now done it thrice.
- Gabriel Tan
