Japanese press amazed by Vietnam team's brave performance

Japanese press and fans were surprised to see their team struggle to beat Vietnam 4-2 in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup on the evening of January 14.

Some Japanese newspapers found it hard to believe when they saw their team struggling against the Vietnamese team in the first half at Al Thumama Stadium (Qatar). With the mindset of being the number 1 team in Asian football before entering the tournament, coach Moriyasu's team was somewhat stunned by a Vietnam team that played quite well in the first 45 minutes.

Vietnam stunned Japan with 2 goals in the first half

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According to Sports Hochi , Japan opened the scoring early in the 11th minute thanks to Takumi Minamino. However, Vietnam surprisingly scored two goals from set pieces in the 16th and 33rd minutes with goals from Dinh Bac and Tuan Hai. Unfortunately, Coach Troussier's players could not maintain their advantage after Minamino and Keito Nakamura scored two goals in a row for Japan (the four-time Asian champions) in the final minutes of the first half. "Despite ending the first half with a lead (3-2), Japan conceded multiple goals against an Asian team for the first time in five years. Online, witnessing Vietnam's performance in the first half, some fans commented with sentences like: "I hope we win this match", "Vietnam is five times stronger than I thought, they have built a good playing style" or "The speed of the Vietnamese players is faster than the pre-match analysis" and "The Vietnamese team performed too well despite only being ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings (Japan is ranked 17th)", according to Sports Hochi .

Despite losing, Vietnam (left) had a pretty good performance against Asia's number 1 team.

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Meanwhile, the Daily Sports newspaper said that the Vietnamese team played well in the first 45 minutes and that is why coach Moriyasu always respects the students of Mr. Troussier, who led Japan at the 2002 World Cup. The French coach's understanding was partly reflected on the field. The Daily Sports newspaper emphasized: "Despite being behind early, under the direction of coach Troussier from the sidelines, the Vietnamese team showed great determination and was rewarded with 2 goals". In fact, the Vietnamese team surprised many people when the players boldly held the ball against the most promising candidate for the 2023 Asian Cup championship, which has many stars playing in Europe. In most of the match, the Vietnamese players were not completely inferior in terms of possession time compared to Japan.

Japan (blue shirt) had a difficult victory against Vietnam.

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Although unable to create a surprise against Japan, Vietnam's performance brought great confidence towards the hope of competing for a ticket to the next round in Group D. Because in the remaining two matches, Coach Troussier's team will face more suitable opponents, namely Indonesia (January 19) and Iraq (January 24).

Thanhnien.vn