Coach Hoang Anh Tuan hopes to squeeze through the narrow door at the 19th Asiad

According to coach Hoang Anh Tuan, if Vietnam plays well against strong opponent Saudi Arabia, it can still enter the round of 16 of men's football at the 19th Asian Games.

*Vietnam - Saudi Arabia: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, September 24, on VnExpress.

"Everything is fine, although Vietnam's door to the next round is very narrow. The coaching staff has discussed with the players that they must try to squeeze through that door," said Mr. Tuan before the training session on the afternoon of September 22. "As for detailed calculations, that is the job of the coaching staff. The players' task is to focus on playing well in the match against Saudi Arabia."

After the opening match, Vietnam won 4-2 against Mongolia, lost 0-4 to Iran and fell to third place in Group B. In the play-off group, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team is in fourth place - the last position to continue.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan (red shirt) and his coaching staff salute the flag before the match against Iran in the second round of Group B of the 19th Asian Games men's football.

In the final match, Vietnam will face Saudi Arabia. This opponent is ranked 57th in FIFA, 38 places higher than Vietnam.

If Vietnam wins, they will advance by finishing in one of the top two positions in the group. If they draw, they will definitely finish third, and have a good chance of advancing. When comparing the five third-placed teams, the result between them and the fourth-placed team in the group will not be counted. So then Vietnam will have one point, just needing to be better than one of the other four teams. If they lose to Saudi Arabia, they will still have a chance of advancing because they will still be sure of finishing third. However, the door will be much narrower. First of all, the team needs to minimize the number of goals conceded to compete on goal difference with the other third-placed teams.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said the players were very sad after the comprehensive defeat to Iran. However, he affirmed that everything was over and the players returned to training excitedly and in a normal state.

In the next match, Vietnam will not have midfielder Duc Anh, who is suspended for receiving two yellow cards. But Mr. Tuan is not worried. "Yesterday, I replaced Duc Anh with Nam Hai. That was the first step for Nam Hai to replace that position. He used to play this position in U23 Vietnam as well as SLNA. In addition, we have Minh Trong who can play left back," he said.

Lam Thoa

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/hlv-hoang-anh-tuan-hy-vong-lach-khe-cua-hep-o-asiad-19-4656392.html