Primarily a substitute throughout SEA Games 33, Nguyen Thanh Nhan not only capitalized on opportunities to score decisive goals when on the field, but his value also lay in his link-up play during the final against Thailand.

Thanh Nhan (right) celebrates with Ly Duc after Vietnam's victory over Thailand in the SEA Games 33 final at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok on the evening of 18/12. Photo: Duc Dong

Despite only one start against Laos in the opening match of the SEA Games 33 men's football campaign, Thanh Nhan remained undeterred. Against the Philippines in the semi-finals, he sealed Vietnam's victory with a free-kick.

In the final at Rajamangala, although he again came on as a substitute, the player born in 2003 once more scored the winning goal, ending Thailand's hopes of winning gold. However, merely scoring goals does not fully capture Thanh Nhan's contribution from the moment he entered the field at the start of the second half.

Thanh Nhan came on to replace Viktor Le, and at times also swapped positions with Dinh Bac. In the first half, this role rotated between Dinh Bac and Viktor Le. Vietnam's number 7 player liked to move widely, often appearing in the left half-space between the opponent's lines to demand the ball from deeper players.

At certain moments, Dinh Bac tucked into the center as a false 9, while Viktor Le drifted left. The Ha Tinh Club player sometimes dropped deep with the intention of receiving a pass from the defensive line. However, Viktor Le more frequently positioned himself level with Thailand's defense, poised to burst forward and run in behind the opposition's backline.

Viktor Le often sought to make attacking runs behind Thailand's defense.

This tactical approach in the first half, under coach Kim Sang-sik, focused on quick, direct deep attacks with long balls from the defense straight upfront. Vietnam also emphasized pushing the ball wide to build attacks. Consequently, attacks through the half-spaces or the center were limited, and the central midfield pair had little influence as the intermediate phase was bypassed.

In the first half, Vietnam aimed for quick attacks with long balls behind Thailand's defense, or pushed the ball wide.

Thanh Nhan preferred to drop deep to link up play.

It is unclear whether coach Kim intended to change the team's possession-based play in the second half. However, with the introduction of two new attacking players, Thanh Nhan and Van Thuan, their qualities opened up a new direction for Vietnam.

From the start of the second half, the red-shirted players were quicker and more aggressive when out of possession, applying more intense high pressing. Yet, they were slower and more composed when in possession. In other words, Vietnam began to "play football" more.

The three forwards in the second half preferred to move closer to the ball to connect play.

Vietnam's wide group play, with Thanh Nhan actively moving out to link up...

After the one-two pass between Thai Son and Thanh Nhan was intercepted, Vietnam immediately regained possession thanks to Nhat Minh's intervention.

Thai Son, who replaced Quoc Cuong at the end of the first half, helped stabilize the midfield, bringing composure and effectiveness to passing solutions. Additionally, with forwards like Thanh Nhan who preferred to drop deep to link up, Vietnam could play through the center and half-spaces. As the distance between the attacking and midfield lines shortened due to these forward movements, short, ground passes proved effective.

Thanh Nhan's instances of dropping back into his own half to link up and evade opponents.

Vietnam no longer wanted to rely solely on long balls. When an attacking structure is not well-defined but relies on long and overly quick plays, rapid loss of possession is likely, a concept familiar to Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta.

With more players positioned closer to the ball, regaining possession after a turnover also became more effective. For example, in the 59th minute, Vietnam attempted short passing combinations on the left flank with a group of 4 players, including Thanh Nhan, who actively moved to add numbers. After a one-two pass between Thanh Nhan and Thai Son was intercepted, the red-shirted players immediately regained possession. This led to the corner kick from which coach Kim's team equalized 2-2.

The opportunities to contest second balls also increased with more players positioned close together. For instance, in the 95th minute, Thanh Nhan contested the first aerial ball near the center circle, Phi Hoang won the second ball, before Thai Son, nearby, delivered a line-breaking pass, sparking the situation that led to Vietnam sealing the 3-2 victory, with the PVF-CAND player himself scoring.

Like Dinh Bac, Thanh Nhan preferred to receive the ball between the opponent's lines, regardless of being back to goal. Furthermore, the player from Tay Ninh province would drop deep into his own half to facilitate combinations for players like Thai Son or Xuan Bac.

With Thanh Nhan willing to drop deep to receive the ball in the left half-space or the center, Dinh Bac could return to a more advanced attacking position, leveraging his short bursts of acceleration. This was the scenario that led to the penalty which saw Vietnam narrow the score to 1-2. At that time, coach Kim's team also attacked with depth, but using short, ground, and line-breaking passes.

Thanh Nhan may be considered "the chosen one," shining with decisive goals against opponents, but he is also an ideal receiving station due to his playing style.

Hoang Thong