Asia shaken as Vietnam leads Japan 2-1

"The 2023 Asian Cup continued on its third day without any surprises. However, the 4-2 score in the match between Vietnam and Japan seemed a bit wrong," commented Siamsport (Thailand). The prestigious newspaper of the Golden Temple country devoted an entire article to expressing admiration for the Vietnamese team - something that rarely happens, especially when the Thai team is also participating in the Asian Cup but has not yet competed.

The author of the article on Siamsports commented further: " Surprisingly, the Vietnamese team equalized with a beautiful header. Not only that, they also took the lead 2-1. Asia was shaken because when this score appeared, many people probably had to rub their eyes to see if it was real or not?".

Vietnam 2-4 Japan

The Vietnamese team conceded an early goal in the 11th minute against Japan. However, coach Philippe Troussier's players created a shock when they took a 2-1 lead with goals from Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Tuan Hai. The stars of the Japanese team showed their class to turn the situation around, winning 4-2 overall. However, the performance of the Vietnamese team deserved the praise.

The Thai newspaper also emphasized that the Vietnamese team did not have Nguyen Quang Hai in the squad and many other familiar stars did not participate in the tournament for many reasons.

"They used many new players with little international experience. However, coach Philippe Troussier's team did amazing things. When they were behind, they still played with strict discipline.

Throughout the 90 minutes on the field, the Vietnamese players showed determination. Despite conceding an early goal against a world-class championship candidate, they were not discouraged," Siamsports commented, while affirming that the two goals scored by the Vietnamese team against Japan were not luck.

The Vietnamese team played with great effort against Japan. (Photo: Getty Images)

The statements of coach Hajime Moriyasu and the Japanese players - admitting weaknesses in the ability to defend set pieces - show that the Vietnamese team has researched and prepared carefully.

In addition, according to Siamsports, the good performance of the Vietnamese team is the result of a long process of reasonable planning by the entire football industry.

"The national championship must be postponed from the end of December so that the national team can prepare best. V.League clubs coordinate for the common good.

The Vietnamese team knows that in the 2023 Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they will have to compete with opponents at the Asian level, so they chose to play friendly matches with China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and South Korea despite losing. What they gained was valuable experience," Siamsports concluded.

Phuong Mai

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