The
first round of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup football
championship finished in a way that caught football fans and experts by
surprise, with old hands stamping their authority onto the regional football
map.

Surprise finish: Singapore defender Daniel Bennett tries to steal the ball from a Filipino striker during their AFF Cup match. The Philippines surprised many when they tied 1-1 with tournament favourites Singapore. (Photo: VNS)

The first four matches
in two groups finished unexpectedly in both scoring and what happened on the
pitch.

The organisers and
sponsors were delighted as thousands of football fans arrived at My Dinh stadium
in Ha Noi and Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, after slow ticket
sales for a few days.

In the first match of
group A in Jakarta, the pre-tournament title favourites, Thailand, were
lacklustre during the match and had to chase Laos throughout the second half and
only managed an equaliser in the last seconds of an injury time for a shameful
2-2 draw.

This is the first draw
Laos has had against Thailand for 35 years.

Contrary to popular
opinion that it would be a tightly contested match, hosts Indonesia thrashed
Malaysia with an unexpected score of 5-1, although the latter scored first.

The group B, which
took place in Ha Noi, happened with an almost similar script but the group’s
semi-finalist contenders, Singapore and Viet Nam, did better than Thailand and
Indonesia.

There were some
regretful moments for Singapore, which controlled much of the match and had
numerous chances, including one-on-one opportunities, but they only got one
point after letting the Philippines equal the score in the last seconds of the
stoppage time.

The Philippines
deserved its first draw against Singapore at the AFF Cup for their determined
effort.

Viet Nam’s 7-1
massacre of Myanmar in the opener has been the most impressive and pleasant
surprise.

Even Vietnamese coach
Henrique Calisto, who was confident of a win for his team before the match,
could not imagine his players could create such an outstanding display.

“The tournament
started with many wonderful surprises when Laos and the Philippines got good
results from stronger Thailand and Singapore. What happened on the pitch proved
that Laos and the Philippines has showed real progress,” said Tran Cong Minh,
former national defender, who spoke to Viet Nam News by telephone.

“The Philippines
showed that they are an organised team, not only on how to defend but how to
attack. In my opinion, however, the skill level is not as good as Vietnamese
players and if Viet Nam plays to its strength, a win is assured,” said Minh, who
was delighted with the performance from the host team.

Minh also said that
after the first round Indonesia was emerging as a serious contender for the
title, as they have a good team with many talented local and naturalised
players.

Old hands

However, it is too
soon to talk about any possibility of the further advancement of Laos and the
Philippines when Laos will face Indonesia and Malaysia and the Philippines meet
host Viet Nam and Myanmar next days.

Most experts, however,
can see real progress from the team. In addition to investment in young
football, it is helped by the expertise from foreign coaches, especially
Austrian Alfred Riedl and Englishman David Booth.

Riedl, who worked as
Viet Nam national team coach three times, is an old hand in Southeast Asia
football.

Before taking charge
of the Indonesian team, Riedl helped Laos finish in third at the Southeast Asia
(SEA) Games last year for the first time.

Laos’s current coach,
David Booth, who also had experiences in regional football with working periods
in Myanmar and Thailand, helped Laos continued the momentum it had gained from
the SEA Games last year.

In spite of suffering
a 1-1 draw in the opener against the underdogs the Philippines, Serbian coach
Radojko Avramovic’s Singaporean team had a good display and enough chances for a
comfortable win.

The most noticeable
new face in the dugout was Thailand’s English coach Bryan Robson, but the
region’s most famous and arguably highest- paid coach had a poor start at his
AFF Suzuki Cup campaign.

“Besides having
extensive experience with regional football and understanding players, these
coaches (Calisto, Riedl, Avramovic and Booth) are very serious about their
work,” Minh, who once worked as assitant for Calisto and Riedl, said.

“Thailand’s bad start
is partly due to the fact that they did not have a good preparation because some
Thai players had just returned to the team after Thailand’s Football Association
Cup final. But I still believe they will bounce back in the next matches and
qualify for the semi-finals.”

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News