VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam’s football team coach Henrique Calisto is confident his team will beat Singapore in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 semi-finals tomorrow.

Makes perfect: Vietnamese players train at Ha Noi’s My Dinh National Stadium in prepation for AFF Cup semi-finals with Singapore tomorrow.

Calisto noted that the more the team played together, the more they understood each other and improved their game.

“My team was lucky with the win against Malaysia, but luck is part of football,” Calisto said.

“The Vietnamese players deserved it, especially as the referee didn’t do his job well, causing a lot of trouble for my players.

“I still have some work to do before the semis, such as improving the strikers’ ability to score as well as the defence.”

Calisto noted that his team did not have much time to prepare for their semi-final match against Singapore.

Asked whether Viet Nam could beat Singapore, Calisto said fans didn’t have enough confidence. He said that this lack of faith added additional pressure on him and his players.

That was partly why his team didn’t play well against Thailand in Phuket last week, losing 2-0, he said.

However, Calisto said the team now felt comfortable after two wins in the group stage. He said that while he respected Singapore as a strong team, anything could happen in football.

Calisto said he had watched Singaporean players carefully and knew their strengths and weaknesses, so he knew what he and his men would have to do.

The team drew 0-0 against Singapore at Ha Noi’s My Dinh Stadium in mid-October, but scored two goals in a 2-2 draw at Singapore’s Jurong Stadium in November.

Calisto noted that with this history, there is no reason why he should be afraid of Singapore.

Players’ belief

Touted as the best man to replace former Vietnamese striker Le Huynh Duc, three-time Golden Ball winner Le Cong Vinh’s performance at the Cup was brought into question this week, when he could not even score a single goal in three games of the tournament and six games in total.

Vinh said that he believed in his abilities and chances to bring Viet Nam ahead.

“Every forward wants to score. I myself feel sad, because I have not scored any goals for Viet Nam. However, many people, my parents, my friends and fans are still supporting me,” said Vinh.

“It is a difficult period, but I think I can overcome it. Chances are available and I will convert them into goals in the next matches.”

Talking about the performance of the team here, Vinh said Viet Nam had not yet reached their peak in this tournament, and he promised they would play their best to defeat Singapore.

“Singapore have triumphed here three times and took three wins in the group round, but Viet Nam can beat them to enter the finals.

“All of us believe in victory and, first of all, we must win on our home turf before flying to Singapore for the return leg match,” Vinh said.

Calisto said that it was only a matter of time before Vinh delivers the goods for the national team.

Vinh needs just one goal to change the game, not only for the forwards but also for the Viet Nam national side, eager to win their first ever ASEAN crown.

“There is no doubt about his abilities – otherwise, he would not be on the national side,” said Calisto of the 23-year-old forward.

“He is a terrific striker but at the moment, I believe that Vinh has a belief issue. He just needs to believe in himself and score the goal for Viet Nam.

“At this stage of his development, he is going through a rough patch, but I think that if he can score that one goal, it will make a world of difference, not only for his play but also for his team.”

The majority of Viet Nam’s seven goals in group B were scored by mid-fielders with Pham Thanh Luong and Nguyen Vu Phong scoring a double each.

Calisto is not about to press the panic button just yet, keeping Vinh as part of his mainstay.

“I believe in Vinh and as such, there is no reason why I should replace him,” added Calisto.

Ticket issues

Tickets for the Cup’s first-leg semi-final match in Ha Noi went on sale starting Sunday.

The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) has authorised VFD Company to sell tickets for the match at My Dinh and Hang Day stadium ticket offices. The tickets range from VND180,000 (US$ 11), VND150,000 ($9), VND120,000 ($7) and VND80,000 ($5).

(Source: VNS/affsuzukicup.com)