Vietnam team departs for Philippines

Coach Philippe Troussier and the entire team of assistants and players moved at 5am today (November 13) from the headquarters of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to Noi Bai airport. After that, the whole team boarded a direct flight from Hanoi to Manila (Philippines).

The Vietnamese team had their first practice session in the host country this afternoon to get acquainted with the Rizal Memorial Stadium. This is an artificial turf field at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila. Some players of the Vietnamese team such as Nguyen Tien Linh, Do Hung Dung... played on this field at the 30th SEA Games (2019).

Vietnam team departs for the Philippines. (Photo: VFF)

The Vietnamese team brought 28 players to the Philippines. Those who had to say goodbye to their teammates were Truong Tien Anh, Luong Duy Cuong, Le Van Do and Pham Van Luan. In the Philippines, coach Troussier will eliminate 5 more players and finalize the list of 23 players for the match against the host team.

In recent days, the Vietnamese team has been training regularly on artificial turf at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. Coach Troussier wants his players to get used to this somewhat unfavorable playing condition.

In fact, many players of the Vietnamese team have played at Rizal Memorial Stadium at the 30th SEA Games and the 2018 AFF Cup, such as Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Hung Dung and Nguyen Thanh Binh. This is also the place that marked a historic milestone when Vietnamese football won the first gold medal in men's football at a Southeast Asian Games.

The match between Vietnam and the Philippines will take place on November 16. Five days later, Coach Troussier and his team will return home to host Iraq on November 21. Vietnam needs 3-4 points to maintain their hopes of competing for a ticket to the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.

Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtc.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-len-duong-sang-philippines-ar833601.html