The normal practice when teams have their final training sessions on the eve of matches is to open the session to the media for the first 15 minutes. The media will pick up any information they can for their stories and also capture whatever photographs and videos they require within the first quarter of the hour-long training session.

Once the stadiums are cleared, sometimes officials and even security are asked to leave, only then do teams start working on their game plan, including set-pieces, for the following day. These sessions are crucial as coaches have the final chance to make any changes they want.

But at their final session today, Myanmar coach Antoine Hey, surprised the media when he said there would not be a 15-minute limit, instead all were free to stay for the entire session. This can be construed as an indication of the team’s confidence and their level of preparedness for tomorrow’s match against Vietnam.

Hey had said during the pre-match press conference that the team had done their homework and was prepared for the match. He in said he was looking forward to playing the match, and was hopeful the team will celebrate with their fans tomorrow.

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