Vietnam team's performance is only down temporarily, will its class last forever?

Vietnam only beat Nepal 1-0 after an own goal from the opposing defender in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This result may have left most fans unsatisfied, but the road is still long.

Lacking sharpness, the Vietnamese team could not create complete joy.

The 1-0 win over Nepal on the evening of October 14 was also the second consecutive match that the Vietnamese team struggled to win against Nepal. Previously, on October 9, coach Kim Sang-sik's team only won 3-1. Therefore, it can be said that the Vietnamese team's performance at this time is not good.

Vietnam team struggled to overcome Nepal

Photo: Independence

Former Vice President of VFF Duong Vu Lam commented: "There are many factors that caused the Vietnamese team to not play well against Nepal in the last two matches. First, the players' form was not good, and the physical strength of many positions on the field was not at full strength. Second, the Vietnamese team was also somewhat unlucky, as we had 3 shots hit the post. However, whatever the reason, the fact that we struggled against a weak opponent like Nepal forced the whole team to look back at ourselves, in order to improve better in the future."

What needs to be improved, according to Mr. Lam, is the glue in the playing style. The Vietnamese team did not coordinate well, not fast enough to cause chaos in the Nepalese defense. The players rarely accelerated, the passes back and forth (ranked 176 FIFA) mainly took place at a steady rhythm, not creating any breakthroughs.

Need to do better in the future

Scoring only 4 goals in total against Nepal over the 2 matches reflects this lack of variation. This is something that the Vietnamese team needs to improve, because next March, we will meet Malaysia, a team that is much stronger than Nepal. Assuming Malaysia is not disqualified and not eliminated from the 2027 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team needs to have a big win against Malaysia to overcome this team in Group F of the qualifying round (we lost 0-4 in the first leg).

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team needs to improve in the coming time.

Photo: Kha Hoa

Then, in mid-2026, the Vietnamese team will participate in the AFF Cup. Compared to previous AFF Cups, the 2026 AFF Cup takes place earlier, coinciding with the summer break of world football. Therefore, Southeast Asian teams are expected to be stronger, thanks to the gathering of players playing abroad, especially naturalized players from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, returning to the country to wear the national team jersey.

Facing strong teams, the Vietnamese team needs to play more sharply and effectively than in the matches on the evening of October 9 and 14, in order to become a real opponent of these opponents. Therefore, improving the image and quality of play is a must for the Vietnamese team.

However, it is hoped that the lackluster performance of the Vietnamese team in recent days is just a temporary performance, in the context that most of the Vietnamese players have just gone through a series of intense matches in the V-League and the Asian and Southeast Asian Cups, leading to their poor physical condition. As for the actual level, the Vietnamese team can still do better than what we have just shown, we will be stronger in the coming time, when the players' performance is better, the team's ability to cohesion is better.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-phong-do-chi-xuong-nhat-thoi-dang-cap-lieu-co-la-mai-mai-185251015022522148.htm