Dang Van Lam will miss the 2023 Asian Cup.

Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam did not recover from his injury sustained in the V-League in time and had to withdraw from this training camp of the Vietnamese national team.

During a medical check-up after joining the team on the morning of December 31st, Van Lam was diagnosed with a right calf muscle strain and Achilles tendonitis, requiring him to take a complete three-week break from training. This means he will be unable to participate in the 2023 Asian Cup, as the team will play their opening match against Japan on January 14th, followed by matches against Indonesia (January 19th) and Iraq (January 24th).

Earlier, near the middle of the second half of the match between Binh Dinh and Hai Phong in Round 8 of the V-League 2023-2024 on December 27th, Van Lam suffered pain in his right leg while running for the ball. He received treatment from the Binh Dinh medical team for about three minutes before leaving the field, making way for reserve goalkeeper Tran Dinh Minh Hoang. After the match, the goalkeeper born in 1993 was seen walking with a limp.

Dang Van Lam during Vietnam's 0-1 loss to Japan in the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals. Photo: Hieu Luong

Van Lam has been the national team's number one goalkeeper since 2017, with 40 appearances. He won the 2018 AFF Cup, reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and made his first appearance in the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Another Vietnamese-born goalkeeper, Nguyen Filip, is almost certain to be given the starting spot. The other goalkeeper called up is Nguyen Dinh Trieu of Hai Phong. Coach Philippe Troussier may promote goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet from the U23 team, or add another player currently in good form in the V-League, Tran Minh Toan ( Binh Duong ).

Besides Van Lam, midfielder Nguyen Duc Chien and striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan also missed the tournament in Qatar due to injury, as did center-back Nguyen Thanh Chung and midfielder Hoang Van Toan. Four other players, Que Ngoc Hai, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, and Nguyen Tien Linh, were not in their best physical condition. Coach Trousier called up three additional players: midfielder Pham Van Luan, defender Bui Tien Dung, and Ho Tan Tai.

The team will train at the Youth Football Training Center, located within the Vietnam Football Federation's premises. The team will finalize a list of 30 players to travel to Qatar for training and a friendly match against Kyrgyzstan on January 9th, then further reduce the squad to 26 players for the Asian Cup.

The 2023 Asian Cup will take place from January 12, 2024 to February 10, 2024. Initially, China was chosen as the host but withdrew due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, the tournament was postponed to early 2024. 24 teams will be divided into six groups, playing a round-robin format to select the six group winners, six second-place finishers, and four best third-place teams to advance to the Round of 16.

List of 32 players in the Vietnamese national team (as of the afternoon of December 31st)

Goalkeepers (2): Nguyen Filip (CAHN), Nguyen Dinh Trieu (Hai Phong).

Defenders (13): Vu Van Thanh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Giap Tuan Duong, Ho Van Cuong (CAHN), Do Duy Manh, Que Ngoc Hai, Vo Minh Trong (Binh Duong), Nguyen Thanh Binh, Phan Tuan Tai (The Cong Viettel), Le Ngoc Bao, Do Thanh Thinh (Binh Dinh), Bui Tien Dung (The Cong Viettel), Ho Tan Tai (CAHN).

Midfielders (12): Nguyen Hoang Duc, Khuat Van Khang, Truong Tien Anh (The Cong Viettel), Do Hung Dung, Pham Xuan Manh, Nguyen Hai Long (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Quang Hai, Le Pham Thanh Long, Pham Van Luan (CAHN), Nguyen Tuan Anh (HAGL), Trieu Viet Hung (Hai Phong), Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa).

Forwards (5): Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Van Tung (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Tien Linh (Binh Duong), Nguyen Van Toan (Nam Dinh), Nguyen Dinh Bac (Quang Nam).

Hieu Luong

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