CNN Indonesia: 'Vietnam team deserves praise for scoring four goals'

According to CNN Indonesian, despite having the worst result among the four Southeast Asian teams participating in the 2023 Asian Cup, Vietnam is still commendable for scoring four goals against Japan and Iraq.

CNN rated Thailand as having the best record among Southeast Asian teams, when they finished second in Group E, and went through unbeaten, not even conceding a goal. This was the first time Thailand had gone unbeaten in three group stage matches, and the second time they had advanced through the group stage of the Asian Cup.

Thailand beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in their opening match, then played defensive counter-attacks to draw Oman and Saudi Arabia with the same score of 0-0. In the next two matches, Masatada Ishii's team only had 30% possession. That result helped Thailand advance to the round of 16 to face Uzbekistan. According to Opta , Thailand has a 36% chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Do Hung Dung, Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Nguyen Dinh Bac (from left) celebrate the opening goal for Vietnam against Iraq, the final match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup, at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan City, Qatar, January 24, 2024. Photo: Lam Thoa

Statistically, CNN considered Vietnam the worst of the four ASEAN teams in the tournament. Philippe Troussier's team lost all three group stage matches and were eliminated first. "However, Vietnam's performance deserves praise," the newspaper wrote. "Because they were able to score two goals against both Japan and Iraq."

Vietnam opened their campaign with a 2-4 defeat to Japan, despite leading 2-1 at one point. The team then disappointed with a 0-1 loss to Indonesia in their second match, and were eliminated. In the final match, Nguyen Quang Hai scored a 90th-minute equalizer to draw 2-2 with a man down against Iraq, but the team still lost 2-3 in the final minute of injury time.

Results of Southeast Asian teams in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup

Team	Point	Goal	Goal conceded	Result
Thailand	5	2	0	Go ahead
Indonesia	3	3	6	Go ahead
Malaysia	1	3	8	Disqualified
Vietnam	0	4	8	Disqualified

Vietnam had the fewest points in the Southeast Asian group, but scored the most goals. However, at the end of the group stage, Thailand and Indonesia advanced, while Vietnam and Malaysia were eliminated. In the round of 16, Indonesia was rated with only a 19% chance of overcoming Australia.

Vietnam also has the highest average ball possession rate in the Southeast Asian group, with 45.3% per match, compared to Thailand's 35%, Indonesia and Malaysia's 34.7%. That is also a highlight of the team under coach Troussier, compared to his predecessor Park Hang-seo.

Besides Vietnam, there are two teams that did not score any points in the tournament: Hong Kong and India. Vietnam's statistics are still better than these two teams, because Hong Kong only scored one goal, while India did not score any goals. Another team that did not score any goals is China, but they still got two points from two 0-0 draws.

Vnexpress.net

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