The AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 has proven to be fertile hunting ground for those tasked with finishing off attacking moves.

Whatever you call them, be it marksmen, strikers or forwards there’s a reason that those at the top end of the pitch are often the most recognised players in their team and that’s because the pressure usually falls on them to put the ball in the back of the net.

For those who enjoy attacking football the tournament has certainly delivered with a whopping 79 goals being scored across the group stage at a rate of almost four per match.

The five players below have plundered 11 of that total tally and they’re in the running for the honour of being crowned the best forward of the group stage.

Make sure to vote and have your say in helping to determine who will come out on top.

 

Teerasil Dangda (Thailand)

Pre-tournament, coach Mano Polking described the evergreen Teerasil Dangda as being ‘old but gold’ and that’s certainly an apt description of the Thailand talisman.

Amazingly, it appears that the 34-year-old is actually getting better with age and his five goals in just four matches already puts him two clear of the competition in the race for the Golden Boot.

Having scored in three of the four group stage matches, it’s his remarkable consistency as well as the deadly finishing that makes Teerasil such a threat.

Safawi Rasid (Malaysia)

Blurring the lines between creative attacking threat and an out-and-out forward, once again Safawi Rasid has been a dangerous presence in the final third for Malaysia.

Surprisingly not yet having scored at the tournament, Safawi has been a real source of creativity though with ten chances created and a tournament high four assists.

Surely it can’t be long before he ends his scoring drought and that spells real danger for his opponents in the last four of the competition.

Dendy Sulistyawan (Indonesia)

In his first AFF Championship, 24-year-old Dendy Sulistyawan staking a claim to be Indonesia’s long-term answer at a position where they’ve struggled to find a reliable option in recent years.

Across three group stage starts he’s shown real flexibility in having played as a lone striker, as part of a front two and also in a wider role on the right.

More than that, he’s proven a real scoring threat and nabbed two goals that show his varying traits, one a poacher’s alert finish and the other a well-timed header and opponents will need to keep him well in check if they are to limit Indonesia over the final week of the tournament.

Nguyen Tien Linh (Vietnam)

Now the undisputed leader of one of the best forward lines in Southeast Asia, 25-year-old Nguyen Tien Linh has been a huge threat across the group stage where he’s already plundered goals against Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar.

Powerfully built, strong in the air and with a deadly eye for goal, Tien Linh profiles as the most likely source of goals as Vietnam chase a third regional title.

Having netted his first AFF Championship goal in 2018 and then again found the back of the net in the 2020 edition, he has now been on the scoresheet in each of the past three campaigns. He has, however, yet to score in the knockout rounds, something he will be desperate to change in the games ahead. 

Sieng Chanthea (Cambodia)

Part of a hugely exciting wave of young Cambodian talent, the 20-year-old was an ever-present as his nation played some eye-catching football in the group stage.

Indeed, Cambodia were one of only three nations to have scored in each of their four matches and Chanthea was a huge part of that from his role tucked in behind the central striker.

With six key passes played and a goal against the might of Thailand it was a tournament to remember for a player with a bright future.