Hanoi: Earlier in the week remarkable scenes filtered out from Hanoi of throngs of fans queuing for hours to try and snap up tickets for Vietnam’s opening home match at the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Those tickets, for the visit of Malaysia, were all gone barely thirty minutes after they went on sale and there is a discernible buzz and expectation right across the capital and beyond for Friday’s showpiece clash.

For some, that pressure is an element that they struggle to handle and when you’re one of the stars of the nation, as is Nguyen Quang Hai, it brings with it even greater expectation.

The 21-year-old though seems to simply take things in his stride and having already played at a (youth) World Cup as well as a host of major international tournaments the creative hub of the Golden Stars is ready to step up tomorrow night.

“The most important thing is that we’ve prepared well and have a high focus and desire to win the match.

“Especially with the support of the Vietnamese fans we know we have to win this match and this is our sole focus.

“We know we have the support and backing of all Vietnamese fans and this is a very strong motivation for us to do well, we’re ready for the match and the team will play together as one unit to ensure we get the win and make the fans happy.”

Part of a remarkable wave of youth – there are 15 players aged 23 or younger in the squad – that’s propelled Vietnam to unprecedented heights over the past 12 months, Quang Hai points to the bonds that those young stars have developed as a major factor behind what he expects will be further success at the regional showpiece.

“The fact that so many players in the team are younger ones means that we’ve all played together in the youth teams before and have a good understanding of each other and our play because we’ve been together for a long time so this is to our advantage for sure.

“Before every tournament I always want to do as best as I can but it’s not about individual performances, rather we must focus on the success of the team and just approach every match with the idea and thought to play as best as we can and get the win.

“If we do that then I’m sure at the end we can be the champion.”

To meet that end goal, a win over Malaysia will be an important step in the right direction and the Hanoi FC midfielder is confident that they are ready for the challenge of the Group A leaders.

“With our coaching staff we have analysed the good points and bad points of Malaysia and we have a plan as to how we can exploit those areas as well as playing to our strengths and if we do that I’m confident we can get a good result.”