Laos and Myanmar stop at AFF Cup 2022
Laos moved the least in the group stage of the AFF Cup 2022 with a total of 4,005 km, but in return, they had to play 4 consecutive matches in only 9 days. After the opening match against Vietnam, Michael Weiss and his students moved continuously from Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur to play Malaysia, then returned to their home ground to host Singapore and then back to Yangon to meet Myanmar.
The density of more than 2 days per match makes Laos physically exhausted. Moreover, the fact that they have definitely been eliminated after three consecutive defeats and have not scored yet makes Laos unappreciated as a guest of Myanmar this afternoon of December 30.
Due to the most expected player - Billy Ketkeophomphone - injury after the Vietnam match, also caused Laos to be chipped. They therefore had to rely on Sukaphon Vongchiengkham in attack, and it was "Messi Lao" who surprised when he opened the scoring for Laos in the 12th minute. Starting from the left wing attack situation, the ball was passed into the penalty area. let Vongchiengkham cut the cushion and hit the Myanmar net. This is Laos' first goal in the AFF Cup 2022 and Vongchiengkham's 15th goal in 55 matches for the Laos national team.
Despite losing two matches, Myanmar has not been eliminated theoretically if it wins Laos and Vietnam, and Vietnam loses to Singapore. Therefore, they rose up after the goal and soon equalized 1-1 in the 15th minute when Kyaw Min Oo comfortably headed in the penalty area.
Myanmar then controlled the ball and created many good chances, but could not beat the talent of Laos goalkeeper Xaysavath Souvanhnasok.
At the beginning of the second half, Laos suddenly stepped up to attack and they took the lead again. From the phase of coordination close to the penalty area, Phithack Kongmathilath crossed the Myanmar defender and passed it to Ekkamai Ratxachak. After a beat of control, he turned and shot his left foot into the far corner, setting up a super product to give Laos a 2-1 lead in 47 minutes.
In the remaining minutes, Myanmar used all its strength to attack while Laos gathered in defense. A series of opportunities were created by the home team but were denied. The Lao players, despite their physical exhaustion, still played hard to protect the goal. At the same time, the vertical column also helped them save Myanmar's shots.
But when the game went to the 6th minute in 7 minutes of compensation, Myanmar was awarded a free kick in front of the penalty area and Lwin Moe Aung kicked the ball over the fence into the far corner to seal the 2-2 draw for the home team. With this result, Laos broke up the AFF Cup with one point. With a point obtained, Myanmar was also eliminated before going to Hanoi to play Vietnam in the last round on January 3, 2023.
