Vietnam team says goodbye to Asian Cup 2023 finals and returns home

After losing to Iraq, the Vietnamese team did not have much time to rest and returned home on a flight departing at 1:45 a.m. on January 25 (local time).

Đội tuyển Việt Nam chia tay VCK Asian Cup 2023 và trở về nước

Bui Hoang Viet Anh scores for the Vietnam team. (Photo: Quynh Anh)

After completing their journey at the 2023 Asian Cup finals, the Vietnamese team returned home on January 25. The team was divided into two groups, the first group left for the airport in Doha (Qatar) at midnight and is expected to arrive at Noi Bai airport ( Hanoi ) at 12:25 the same day. The second group arrived in Hanoi at 7:10 a.m. on January 26.

Thus, after the match against Iraq, many members of the Vietnamese team did not have much time to rest. However, the thing that everyone felt saddest about was not achieving the goals at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Vietnam is the first team to be eliminated from this tournament and has no points after 3 losses in the group stage. This is a result and performance that did not satisfy the fans. Coach Troussier and his students are under a lot of pressure.

However, the French coach said: "In this tournament, I think the Vietnamese team was unlucky to be in the same group as Japan and Iraq. This was a difficult group. But in the end, I think the team left the tournament with a good image, a positive image."

Meanwhile, central defender Bui Hoang Viet Anh expressed regret and pointed out the biggest lesson of the Vietnamese team in the 2023 Asian Cup campaign.

"It's hard to put into words my feelings right now. As everyone knows, it's very unfortunate that the Vietnamese team lost in the last seconds.

In the last match, the whole team played very well and tried hard, but that red card forced us to retreat and play, giving the other team a chance to score and win.

Our biggest lesson is experience and always focusing until the last second. Vietnam will have many matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers so we must always maintain focus.

Although the Vietnamese team did not compete successfully in this tournament, I personally hope that the fans will always accompany and stay by the team's side during the most difficult times so that we can compete well in the future."

After returning home, the players will return to their clubs to continue training in preparation for the 2023/24 V-League and take a break for the Lunar New Year. It is expected that on March 10, the Vietnamese team will gather again in Hanoi to prepare for two important matches with Indonesia in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

The first leg will be played away on March 21, and the second leg will be played at My Dinh Stadium on March 26.

( according to Dan Tri)

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