AFC can decide later, first Vietnam must defeat Nepal

Before waiting for the AFC's decision on the 0-4 loss to Malaysia because the opponent used 7 illegally naturalized players, the Vietnamese team needs to focus on defeating Nepal at 7:30 p.m. on October 9.

Vietnam team needs to defeat Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

This is a match in which coach Kim Sang-sik will probably set at least two goals: "a beautiful win" and "rejuvenating" the squad.

Nepal is not a concern

Before building a style of play, Coach Kim must definitely study the opponent to evaluate their ability, from there, choose a defensive counter-attack or all-out attack strategy. It can be seen that Nepal is a low-ranking football country in the world , so their players cannot reach strong national tournaments.

Among the players who came to Vietnam, there are some players who are playing or have played in Bangladesh, Maldives, or Indonesia... For example, center back Abhishekh Limbu, striker Ayush Ghala, right back Sanish Shrestha are playing in the Bangladesh National Championship. Defensive midfielder Rohit Chand used to play in Indonesia. Most of the above tournaments are not highly rated, so it somehow shows the ability of the Nepalese players.

In the 2 qualifying matches for the 2027 Asian Cup, Nepal lost to Malaysia 0-2 and Laos 1-2. The defeat to Laos further demonstrated the “not to be feared” ability of Matt Ross’s team.

It is important to note that in the confrontations with the Vietnamese team, Laos always received defeat with a difference in score, completely inferior in the game. In the opening match of Group F, the team from the land of a million elephants received 5 goals against Vietnam.

Coach Kim aims to defeat Nepal.

Of course, football is not a bridge calculation or high logical reasoning. However, the order established over the decades can also help viewers make comparisons and from there, evaluate the strength between Vietnam and Nepal when using Laos as a reference system.

In the world rankings, Vietnam ranked 114th, while Nepal ranked 176th. That 62-rank difference also shows a significant difference in professional level.

And our problem

Nepal is not a concern, so do not be subjective when thinking that the final result depends on Vietnam's performance. Of course, the first condition is that Mr. Kim's students are not allowed to be subjective and underestimate their opponents.

If that “superior” mindset prevails in the mind, Vietnam may no longer be itself. It is important to know that when facing an opponent that uses the majority to protect the goal like Nepal, Mr. Kim’s students will have difficulty scoring.

Without the necessary alertness and coolness, Vietnam could fall into a deadlock. On the contrary, if they respect their opponents and play with the highest spirit and concentration in the same way as they do, Mr. Kim's army will be able to break the opponent's concrete block more easily.

Vietnam team is predicted to have an easy victory against Nepal.

An impressive victory with a big score to maintain the performance and image of a superior team is the first requirement of Vietnam. Almost certainly, Coach Kim will also aim for another goal of introducing a youthful image to the national team.

In this call-up list, the Korean strategist called up 8 players of the age of U23 Vietnam including Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh, Phi Hoang, Van Khang, Xuan Bac, Thanh Nhan and Dinh Bac. Perhaps, Mr. Kim wants the players to be trained at a higher level to be more "ripe" for the two very important international tasks ahead: SEA Games 2025 and U23 Asia Finals 2025.

They are “young but not inexperienced” as they have experienced many international matches in the past few years. Nepal is not too strong so this is a good opportunity for Coach Kim to “test the waters” for his students.

Of course, the presence of experienced players is also a necessary issue for Vietnam when facing Nepal. Tien Linh, Tien Dung or Hoang Duc… are not only professional support but also spiritual support, urging the players when facing difficulties. Obviously, Nepal will most likely play a defensive game with a large number of players, so difficulties for Vietnam are entirely possible.

In that context, experienced players are essential to lead Hieu Minh, Phi Hoang, Xuan Bac... to "break through" the opponent's goal.

Source: https://znews.vn/afc-xu-sau-cung-duoc-truoc-mat-viet-nam-phai-ha-nepal-post1591947.html