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The Indian men's football team will take on hosts Vietnam in the last match of the Hưng Thịnh friendly tournament on Tuesday, September 27. The Thống Nhất Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City will host this encounter.
India and Vietnam played their opening matches against Singapore, the other team in the three-nation tournament. While the hosts thrashed Singapore 4-0 last Wednesday, the Blue Tigers were held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
It means the vociferous home crowd at the Thống Nhất Stadium will be treated to a virtual final on Tuesday. A draw would be enough for Vietnam but only a win would hand India the trophy.
India and Vietnam last met in a friendly fixture in Pune in 2010 where a 26-year-old Sunil Chhetri netted a hat-trick in a 3-1 win for Blue Tigers.
Even though Chhetri is still around, times have changed. Vietnam, ranked 97, have been on the rise in recent years under Korean coach Park Hang-seo and will head into the contest as favorites.
Park was in attendance for India's frustrating 1-1 stalemate against Singapore at the weekend. The Blue Tigers were unlucky to concede the opening goal as Ikhsan Fandi's free-kick took a huge deflection off the wall and went in despite Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's best efforts.
Igor Štimac's men had a prompt response as Chhetri released Ashique Kuruniyan behind the Singaporean defense and the winger finished it off for the equalizer just before half-time.
However, the second half was a scrappy affair. Apart from Kuruniyan's stinging effort in the 50th minute, which was expertly palmed away by Hassan Sunny, India created very little in the final third.
Captain Chhetri noted that the team needed to do better and that there were a lot of things to work on before the all-important clash against Vietnam.
On that note, let's check out three player battles that could be key in deciding Tuesday's encounter.
#3 Anwar Ali (IND) vs Nguyễn Văn Quyết (VIE)
Since making his debut against Bahrain in March, Anwar Ali has been the first name in Igor Štimac's defense. The youngster has played the full 90 minutes in each of India's last six matches and was solid as always against Singapore. He came out on top against a physical striker like Fandi with his well-timed tackles.
In a battle of youth versus experience, Ali will be up against Vietnam forward Nguyễn Văn Quyết. Returning to the national team after a gap of almost four years, he had a fantastic outing against Singapore. He scored the opener with a sizzling low drive from long range and was instrumental in the final third with his passing.
Ali will have his task cut out against a young Vietnamese side renowned for their fast-paced attack and ruthless finishing. In addition, Văn Quyết, the squad's top-scorer with 14 goals, will supply vital experience.
#2 Sunil Chhetri (IND) vs Quế Ngọc Hải (VIE)
Striker Sunil Chhetri and defender Quế Ngọc Hải have been leaders of their national teams for a long time now, which makes this a highly-anticipated duel.
Playing his 130th game for India, Chhetri had a good run against Singapore. His quick thinking was crucial in the equalizer as he received Samad's pass and delivered a first-time through ball for Kuruniyan to capitalize.
The veteran footballer may not be the quickest man on the pitch for India but his technical ability is still second to none.
Centre-back Ngọc Hải was not part of Vietnam’s matchday squad against Singapore but is expected to start against India. With 63 caps, he is the most experienced player in the team and the sixth-highest capped player in Vietnam's history.
Ngọc Hải has been terrific in Park Hang-seo’s revolutionary five-at-the-back system. His commanding presence, coupled with his confident passing, makes him indispensable for Vietnam.
#1 Jeakson Singh Thounaojam (IND) vs Nguyễn Quang Hải (VIE)
As the only defensive midfielder in the Indian squad, Jeakson Singh could play a crucial role against Vietnam. After spending a lot of time on the bench last year, the tall youngster has recently made a breakthrough in the Indian team, being named in the starting XI in the last three matches.
Jeakson was a key part of the Kerala Blasters team that made the ISL final last season and the midfielder will hope to replicate his club's form in national colors. He will face a stern test against one of south-east Asia's biggest stars, Nguyễn Quang Hải.
Since making his debut in 2017 at the age of 20, Quang Hải has taken Vietnam's attack to the next level. In 2019, he won the ASEAN Player of the Year Award and was named in the AFC Asian Cup team of the tournament as Vietnam reached the quarter-finals.
In July of this year, Quang Hải signed for French second-division side Pau FC and became only the third Vietnamese to play in Europe.
The nimble-footed Quang Hải operates as an advanced playmaker. His speed and unpredictability is sure to cause problems for the Indian backline, which makes Jeakson's role as a holding midfielder all the more important.
